Authentic Abruzzese Sagne e Fagioli

Take a moment to escape with me to my father-in-law's quaint little kitchen in Abruzzo where he's cooking up a big pot of Sagne e Fagioli (san-yay ay fa-joely)!

Sagne e Fagioli is a traditional Italian dish that was commonly eaten by the poor in Abruzzo, but like many "poor dishes", it has now become popular and can even be found in upscale restaurants.

Or you can make it yourself! The recipe fluctuates as it's not written down, so I can't give you exact measurements. But that's part of the fun!

What you'll need are:

Big pot/deep pan
Two cans of borlotti beans
Sagne (can be found at your local Italian market or find similar pasta)
Fresh rosemary (dried works as well if need be)
Olive oil
Garlic
Passata

To start:

Be generous with the olive oil in your pan to get started
Take one clove of garlic (or half if it's not your favourite), mince it and add it to the oil.
Fry the garlic for a few minutes on low
Chop your rosemary, add it to the garlic mix and allow to fry together until on the verge of crisp
Add two cans of beans, bean water and all
Rinse a bean can, add one whole bean can of water
Add just a bit of passata, salt and stir
Set aside on low for about 30 mins
Cook sagne as per instructions
Add sagne with just a couple of inches of water to the bean mixture (which should have thickened somewhat)
Mix and serve!

If you'd like more in-depth instructions, please reach out!

In the meantime, enjoy this authentic Abruzzese Sagne e Fagioli and let me know if you make it! You can follow me on Instagram @lenrensprouler!