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Fagioli al Forno – Italian Baked Beans

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Hearty Fagioli al Forno -Italian Baked Beans – is a popular Northern Italian Dish. In honor of my mamma who really loved Pasta Fagioli, we decided to add pasta to the baked beans recipe and make it even better. Canned cannellini beans make the baked beans dish quick and easy. Fresh fragrant sage leaves, aromatic garlic, and spicy sausage makes this satisfying dish a meal in itself. 

Fagioli al Forno-Italian Baked Beans with Pasta @allourway.com

Fagioli al Forno – Italian Baked Beans with Pasta

Table Of Contents

Italian fagioli background

If you look up popular Italian peasant food you’ll find beans. But, during the Renaissance, Catherine de Medici wanted to refine Italian cuisine, so beans fell out of favor with the nobility and the sophisticated city dwellers.

Only, the poor couldn’t be particular — they still made their bean dishes. Affordable and delicious! 

It wasn’t long before before beans became popular again. You know,  when something tastes good and is good for you it eventually comes back into vogue.

In Tuscany, beans are such a  staple in the regional cuisine that the Tuscans have the nickname of ” beaneaters”, although beans are eaten all over Italy.

Fagioli al Forno - Italian Baked Beans with Pasta @allourway.com

Fagioli al Forno – Italian Baked Beans with Pasta

Fagioli are versatile and nutritious

You can make so many delicious and nutritious dishes with beans. Here is an excellent article if  you want to read more about the nutrition and health benefits of beans. 

Some delicious ways you can serve beans:

  • In soups such as ham and beans
  • As an appetizer like white bean hummus
  • In a salad such as pinto bean salad or three bean salad
  • In sweets, black bean brownies, or chocolate pumpkin muffins
  • Baked with meat and pasta
  • As a spread on crostini
  • Made into a patty and put in a sandwich 
  • At breakfast as a faux sausage link
  • served as a basis of a hearty salad such as tonno e fagioli (tuna and beans).

One very popular Tuscan dish is fagioli all’uccelletto (beans cooked like little birds). The recipe consists of cooking cannellini beans then combining them with chopped garlic, fresh sage leaves and tomatoes and simmered for about 15 minutes, until tender and fragrant. The dish is sometimes served with coarse country sausage.

Pasta al Forno - Italian Baked Beans with Pasta @allourway.com

Pasta al Forno – Italian Baked Beans with Pasta

Pasta Fagioli al Forno

For this Italian baked beans recipe we opted for canned beans. We used one can cannellini and one can pinto beans.

You can also make this into a vegetarian recipe by just omitting the sausage. . . it will still taste good but not as great as with the smoked meat.

Fresh sage leaves flavor the beans along with garlic, onion, and thyme which is very popular in Italy.

For the smoked meat we used kielbasa since we already had it,  but you can use any smoked meat you like.

Simple ingredients and ordinary seasonings combine to make some of the most delicious dishes.

The Italians have a saying: La fame è il miglior cuoco che ci sia { Hunger is (makes) the best cook}.

Tutti a tavola è pronto!

Alla prossima.

YOU MAY NEED…

The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Le Creuset Stoneware Casserole with Lid – This is really handy to have with a lid that won’t let the contents leak. 

Cannellini beans — this is a staple in our pantry. We love adding them to soups. 

What’s new? check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We’ll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make cooking fun and easy. 

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Fagioli al Forno – Italian Baked Beans recipe 

An economical dish that is satisfying as a meal by itself. The canned beans make this recipe easy and quick although you could start the day before by using dried beans that you soak and cook. The fresh sage and smoked sausage is the secret to the hearty satisfying taste of the fagioli al forno. 

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Pasta al Forno - Italian Baked Beans with Pasta @allourway.com

Fagioli al Forno – Italian Baked Beans

This is a savory bean dish that is flavored by fresh sage, garlic, onion, thyme and smoked meat. If you wish you can make the recipe without the meat.
5 from 16 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Lunch Dish, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: comfort food, hearty beans, winter dish
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 378kcal
Author: Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
As An Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients

  • 2 cans 15 oz. cannellini beans *
  • 1 can 14 oz. fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 3 fresh sage leaves
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 4 oz. smoked sausage cut in half and then into 1/4″ half moons**
  • 4 Tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 oz. dry pasta cooked according to package directions to just below al dente – it will continue to cook in the baked beans.

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F.
  • In a Dutch oven heat the oil over medium heat and saute the garlic and sage leaves for 3-4 minutes until garlic is tender but not brown. Add the onions with the sprig of thyme. Continue to saute for another 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the smoked sausage and cook for another 2 minutes.
  • Add the fire roasted tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes. Pour in the beans with its juice and add the red pepper flakes.
  • Mix in the pasta and cover the dish with a lid or foil, and place in the center of the heated oven.
  • Bake for 30 minutes.
  • Remove the dish from the oven, stir the beans, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Return the beans to the oven, uncovered, and cook for another 15 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 7 – 8 minutes before serving. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Notes

  • * We used one can of cannellini and one can of pinto beans.
  • ** We used kielbasa just because we already had it.

Nutrition

Serving: 6g | Calories: 378kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 634mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 25IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 2.3mg

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Comments

  3. Tina says

    5 stars
    What a great, hearty meal. I always felt like sausage and beans go together, your version looks and sounds amazing. Ah, the benefits of growing up in an Italian home. Thanks for this recipe!

    Reply

  11. Elaine Benoit says

    5 stars
    This baked beans recipe looks scrumptious! I usually sprint away from baked beans (Boston) since I find them too sweet! I love all the flavors you’re using and you really can’t beat sausages and pasta added to this dish!

    Reply

  13. Veena Azmanov says

    5 stars
    This is pure comfort food. I love how simple and easy this is. I love having beans in winter months because I made bean soups a lot. Can’t wait to try this one. I can almost smell the flavors.

    Reply

  19. Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens says

    5 stars
    I always enjoy your cultural and historical tidbits – always gives such a terrific background and sense of place to each recipe! I adore the addition of pasta here, too – I’m a true pasta lover, so I’m happy to work it in wherever I can LOL! So hearty and nutritious, too! Another fabulous post!

    Reply

  22. Teri says

    This is the kind of recipe that makes me wish I had grown up in an Italian home. This looks so yummy to me. I love all of the ingredients and it seems like such a comforting and flavorful meal to me. Thank you for sharing another wonderful recipe!

    Reply

  26. Melissa says

    This is a perfect dish for the cooler weather ahead, especially with that smoked sausage…mmm!!! We make Pasta Fagioli as it was a favorite for my hubby that his mom used to make so this would be a nice twist for us to enjoy! Thanks

    Reply

  29. Veena Azmanov says

    Oh this looks so delicious Marisa !! I love beans and I love the way you made these. I love such food in winter – a bowl of beans cooked to perfection and crusty bread … cold winter night.. going to try this for sure. Saving this for now. Yum.

    Reply

  32. Simply Suzannes at Home says

    Hi Marisa!
    This dish sounds amazing! I’ve never heard of it before, but the combination of ingredients sounds delicious . . . creamy cannellini beans, tender pasta, spicy kick from the pepper flakes and fire roasted tomatoes, and the smoky meat . . . YUM!!
    It also looks like it could be the perfect base for tender shredded beef. That might make it a little more American?
    LOVE your version though! Totally printing this recipe to make SOON!!!
    Thanks so much for sharing!
    Have a wonderful weekend,
    Suzanne

    Reply

    • Marisa Franca says

      I think the shredded beef would be great. This type of recipe you could add any kind of protein that your wanted. How about sending us some of your warm, sunny weather?? Hope you have a wonderful weekend, too!

      Reply

  35. Ambra Sancin says

    I make something very similar to this. I sometimes use Spanish chorizo sausages too, very nice. I like to use fresh Borlotti beans, but they are so expensive at the beginning of the season, it’s not very economical by the time you’ve thrown away the shells.

    Reply

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