Sausage Pasta Fazool (Pasta e Fagioli) – Perfect for “One of Those Days”

It’s not completely accurate to say this is my recipe for sausage pasta fazool, since I’ve probably never made this the same way twice, but that’s just the kind of dish it is. In fact, I rarely even make it on purpose, but rather as a way to use up leftover meat. Regardless of what you use, this is classic Italian-American comfort food at its finest.

Having said that, if you were going to make this intentionally, this particular array of ingredients does work quite well. Sausage is always a great choice for a sauce, since not only do we get our meat, we also get all the associated garlic, herbs, and spices for free.

Speaking of the herbs and spices, I went with “sweet” Italian, because I really like how the anise and fennel seeds work with the beans, but any variety of fresh or dried sausage can be used. So, don’t feel like you have to wait for “one of those days” before giving this a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 large or 4 smaller portions:

1 tablespoon olive oil

12 ounces sweet Italian sausage

1 rib celery, diced

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

3/4 cup dry macaroni

1/4 cup tomato paste

3 to 4 cups chicken broth, or as needed

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

red pepper flakes to taste

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

3 cups chopped Swiss chard

1 (15-oz) can white beans, drained

grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese