Marie Barbarossa's Pasta And Beans

From Eliafamily

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. dry white or cranberry beans
• cold water to cover beans
• 2 cloves of crushed garlic
• 1 small onion, diced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 lb. small macaroni (small shells, or elbow, or ditilini)
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions

Wash and sort beans. Cover with cold water overnight or cook for about 1 1/2 hours or until tender.

Slowly saute garlic and onion. While the garlic and onion are sauteing, cook the pasta al dente; reserve liquid from drained pasta. When beans are tender, combine all the ingedients (onion, garlic, pasta, and beans) with 1 cup of the reserved water. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes (if you need more liquid while the ingredients are simmering, add more liquid from the drained pasta.)

Attribution

Submitted by: Marie Barbarossa for the 2004 Elia Family Recipe Book.

Notes on attribution: This recipe is the way Aunt Mary cooked macaroni and beans. Marie Barbarossa shortened it by using 1 or 2 cans of white beans and using 1 or 2 cans of chicken broth instead of water. You can top it with good grated cheese and have some Italian bread ready.