Pasta Recipes — The Two-Dollar Pot That Carried Me Through the Week

Phone screen this week — a CPS school on the southwest side, elementary SpEd. The principal's name is Mrs. Dominguez and she asked me three questions and I answered all of them with specific examples from student teaching and she said "Those are good answers" twice and "we'll be in touch" once. I hung up and sat in the kitchen at the table and said "Okay" out loud to no one. Steve walked through for coffee and I said I had a phone screen and he said "How'd it go?" I said good. He said "Good" and poured his coffee and went back to the garage. That is his entire version of supportive celebration and it is perfect.

Nar-Anon this week at the local group in Oak Lawn — I switched from the Sycamore group when I came home and have been going to the Tuesday evening meeting at a church on 95th Street. Pat from the Sycamore group texted to check in. He has my number from an emergency contact thing the group does. He said "Happy new year. Hope the teaching is going well." I said "I graduated. Job interviews starting." He said "Of course you did." That is the whole of the text exchange and it made me feel very seen.

Made pasta e fagioli this week — the simple version, pasta and white beans in a tomato-y broth with garlic and olive oil and rosemary. Under two dollars for a pot that lasted three days. I put it in the cast iron skillet to reheat individual portions and the cast iron holds the heat beautifully, which means the soup stays warm through the whole bowl. Little things. The right pan for the right job is one of the small pleasures of knowing how to cook.

The blog is getting consistent traffic. January is apparently "budget cooking resolution" season and the posts I wrote in the fall — batch cooking for teachers, cheap winter soups, pulled pork week — are getting shared around. A teacher in Ohio wrote: "I made the pulled pork week plan. I cried a little because I actually ate dinner every night for a week." I am going to keep writing these things down. This is also part of the job. This is the part I did not expect but cannot imagine stopping now.

The phone screen went well and the soup was already on the stove, and those two things felt connected in a way I couldn’t quite explain at the time. I needed something that required almost nothing from me but gave back warmth and substance — something I could make on a Tuesday and still be eating on Thursday without any extra effort. Pasta e fagioli is that recipe: white beans, canned tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, a handful of pasta, and a pot that practically cooks itself. If you have cast iron, use it to reheat individual portions. The heat retention is genuinely one of the small joys of this dish.

Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and White Bean Soup)

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1 can (14 oz) crushed or diced tomatoes
• 2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini or Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup small pasta (ditalini, elbow, or small shells)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• Parmesan rind (optional, adds depth)
• Extra olive oil, for serving

Instructions

1. Build the base. Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant and just golden at the edges, about 2 minutes. Add the rosemary sprig and stir for 30 seconds.
2. Add tomatoes. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine with the garlic and oil. Let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes, until it thickens slightly and the tomatoes deepen in color.
3. Add beans and broth. Add the drained beans, broth, water, and Parmesan rind if using. Stir to combine, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes to let the flavors develop.
4. Mash for body. Using the back of a spoon or a potato masher, roughly mash about one-quarter of the beans directly in the pot. This thickens the broth and gives the soup its characteristic creamy-without-cream texture.
5. Cook the pasta. Add the dry pasta directly to the pot. Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is just tender, about 8–10 minutes. The soup will thicken considerably as the pasta cooks; add a splash of water if needed.
6. Season and rest. Remove the rosemary sprig and Parmesan rind. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Let the soup rest off heat for 5 minutes before serving — it continues to thicken as it sits.
7. Serve. Ladle into bowls and finish each with a drizzle of good olive oil. To reheat individual portions, a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat holds the warmth beautifully through the whole bowl.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 285 | Protein: 12g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 8g | Sodium: 390mg