Pasta & Bean Stew | Paštafažol

In Italy it's Pasta e Fagioli, in the USA it's Pasta Fazool, in Croatian (you got it) Paštafažol, literally meaning Pasta and Beans.

In Croatia, Paštafažol is eaten from Dalmatia to Istria, fažol being the dialect word for beans, in Croatian proper called grah. And even though you will find loads of variations with carrots, celery and other vegetables added this is meant to be a very simple dish which I have kept as it's eaten by the locals (of course some might disagree)

Pasta & Bean Stew | Paštafažol (with added parmesan)

It's a great one-pot-wonder and does freeze well however some of the beans do disintegrate in the reheat but for the most part they hold their shape. The one key is to use what Croatians call šareni grah, or multicoloured beans, ie. borlotti beans also known as cranberry beans. These originated in Italy and have a creamy texture along with a nutty flavour.

Don't use canned beans for this recipe, use the dried ones that you will need to soak overnight. Don't skip this step! Soaking is a must!!

And because there's pasta, no need to serve this with any bread but I'll leave that up to you!

Let me know if you tried this hearty stew and what you thought?

Zivjeli! (Cheers and let’s live!)