Notes about Recipes in this book

• Lentil salad (Insalata di lenticchie)

  • Breadcrumbs on August 10, 2014

    p. 54 - This salad was just meh. The issue came from the lack of vinegar. We add quite a bit more to balance out the flavours. Not my favourite lentil salad recipe by a long shot. Unlikely to make this again. We did top w crumbled feta.

• Salad of lentils and cheese (Insalata di lenticchie e formaggio)

  • kbrooks on May 22, 2024

    I added a splash of sherry vinegar for a little acidity. Used lentils de puy.

• Venetian sweet-and-sour beans (Fagioli alla Veneziana)

  • intrepidcook on September 29, 2024

    Venetian Sweet-and-Sour Beans made with Rancho Gordo Borlotti Magnifico beans. Shown here served with brown Basmati rice. Recipe in Judith Barrett's book "Fagioli: The Bean Cuisine of Italy" (page 83 of the original edition, or page 64 of the edition re-published by Steve Sando). I've made this recipe several times using other Rancho Gordo beans such as Borlotto Lemon and Cranberry.

  • intrepidcook on September 29, 2024

    Another meal with the Venetian Sweet-and-Sour Beans made with RG Borlotti Magnifico. This time served with toasted Greek pasta (Misko No. 5) and shaved parmesan reggianno.

• Chickpeas braised with Swiss chard (Ceci con bietole in zimino)

  • bob.mack on January 10, 2021

    This was very good - a healthy chickpea stew/ thick soup with Swiss chard. I only used 1 bunch of Swiss chard and used vermouth. Next time I will try the suggested amount of greens and increase the amount of red pepper flakes. I think this will freeze well for a weekday lunch served with bread and salad.

• Braised lentils with fresh fennel (Lenticchie brasate)

  • oboistaalli on July 27, 2023

    This is an easy and delicious side dish. The fennel imparts a mildly sweet flavor. I served this with grilled salmon. This recipe was included in the Rancho Gordo Bean Club box along with Puglia Lentils. The recipe ingredients included 1 clove of garlic, but I added two cloves.

• Genoa-style minestrone with pesto (Minestrone Genovese)

  • Ordinaryblogger on June 07, 2023

    Just wonderful. A new family favorite. I used corona beans and it was perfect.

  • patioweather on June 10, 2024

    Good "use up everything in your fridge" recipe.

• Livorno-style minestrone (Minestone Livornese)

  • hillsboroks on January 13, 2024

    This is a lovely hearty soup for a cold winter day. I used 2 cans of cannellini beans with their liquor instead of cooking them from scratch to save time. I am snowed in so I had to make a couple of substitutions like regular cabbage for Savoy cabbage, some homemade pesto for fresh basil and a russet potato for the Yukon gold potato. I also didn’t have the Swiss chard. But it still turned out very flavorful and my husband loved it. He doesn’t like watery soup so I reduced the water to 6 cups and added 1 cup ditalini pasta about 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time and the soup was the perfect hearty thickness.

• Soup of lentils and Swiss chard (Minestra di lenticchie e bietole)

  • Ordinaryblogger on May 30, 2023

    Lovely soup. Easy to make - no sautéing!

• Soup of cannellini beans and greens (Zuppa di fagioli alle erbette)

  • foodgloriousfood on August 05, 2023

    Incredibly disappointing! I cooked up 1lb of Marcella Rancho Gordo beans for this plus used my homegrown Swiss chard. 1lb of beans was actually a bit more than triple the recipe but I thought if it gets too thick I can thin it out. I also had to reduce the 24(!) cups of water to 22 cups as it wouldn’t all fit in my largest Staub. So it should have been thick but was as thin as dishwater and tasted similar. I had to reduce it down for ages and then ended up adding 3 cans of cannellini beans to give it any body at all! Once doctored, it was ok, but it was still quite thin. I believe that the recipe should be written for uncooked beans not cooked!! But considering that this book is a reprint, and I have been eyeing the first edition for a few years but it is scarce and hard to find at a reasonable price, one would think that the recipes would be tried and true and perhaps even re-rested. Trust me, this soup as written is a Failure Soup in a Sadness Bowl.

  • alysekstokes on January 30, 2025

    Delicious! Used Rancho Gorda caballero beans for this, which were beautifully creamy in the soup. I added about a 1/2 cup of small pasta (anellini) that I had in the pantry, and it made for a hearty meal. The garlic and herb oil really makes this dish sing. (I made this from the 2023 edition of the book, printed by Rancho Gordo, which only calls for 8 cups of water.)

• Soup of chickpeas and fennel (Zuppa di cicerchie e finocchio)

  • jdjd99 on March 07, 2021

    Any Rancho Gordo bean club members out there? I made this with my cicerchie beans and it is outstanding. Easy to make and really highlights the beans. It’s a keeper.

• Soup of lentils and mushrooms (Zuppa di lenticchie e funghi)

  • djnielsen64 on March 25, 2023

    Very good. I think I would double the oyster mushrooms next time.

  • PennyG on August 07, 2025

    Very simple - quite delicious! Will definitely go on my list to make again.

• Tuscan bean and farro soup (Zuppa della Garfagnana)

  • Lepa on May 31, 2023

    This is a hearty and simple soup. Not flashy but solid. I added a bit of bullion to improve the savory flavor of the broth. I cooked the beans and used their broth but it still needed a bit of a flavor bump. Using broth instead of water would also be a good idea here.

• Borlotti and barley soup from the Veneto (Zuppa di orzo e fagioli)

  • kbrooks on January 14, 2025

    Yummy and filling soup.

• Fava bean and barley soup (Zuppa di orzo perlato e fave)

  • kbrooks on May 07, 2026

    Good. Earthy and filling.

• Veneto-style soup of borlotti beans and vegetables (Passato di fagioli borlotti alla Veneta)

  • kbrooks on July 13, 2024

    Fresh cranberry beans are just now showing up in our farmers' market, so that's what I used to make this. They cook up in about 20 minutes. We like a texture in our soup, so I pureed about 1/3 of the veggies for creaminess and left the rest whole. We used the prosciutto, but fried it crisp and crumbled it on the soup as a garnish.

• Soup of pasta and chickpeas (Zuppa di pasta e ceci)

  • patioweather on November 01, 2023

    This soup is pureed, with pasta added in after the soup is smooth. It is one of those things where the flavors meld more the next day, but if you go that route you may want to cook the pasta separately.

• Veneto-style soup of pasta and borlotti beans (Pasta e fagioli alla Veneta)

  • KissTheCook on January 04, 2025

    Very good; excellent the next day. Figure 2 hrs. as pasta can take a while to cook in the bean puree.

• Soup of pasta, beans, lentils, and split peas (Zuppa di legumi e pasta)

  • kbrooks on January 14, 2025

    Delicious combination. Didn't have any tubular pasta, so used orzo. Added a splash of dry sherry before serving. This soup thickens up substantially and makes a meal with a side salad and some bread sticks.

• Penne with chickpeas, split peas, and beans (Penette ai legumi)

  • kbrooks on January 26, 2025

    I made this with French lentils du pay, green split peas,cecci piccoli, and alubia Blanca beans from Rancho Gordo. Cooked the beans and cecci separately with garlic, onion, bay leaf, and sage. Saved the cooking liquid and included in the liquid called for in the recipe for more flavor. Italian tubetti for the pasta. Followed the recipe. Husband really liked this. I thought it was OK, but not very interesting. Certainly healthy with the legumes and veggies, but to my taste, missing something. The soup recipe on pg.84 is much tastier.

• Polenta, beans, and pancetta from the Veneto (Polenta e fagioli al Veneto)

  • kbrooks on November 11, 2025

    Easy. Really delicious. Made this with fresh cranberry beans from the farmers market. I was out of pancetta so substituted bacon. Will definitely make again with dried borlotti beans when fresh shell beans aren't available. Perfect over the polenta.

• Cannellini beans and farro with summer vegetables (Verdurata di farro)

  • Dannausc on July 25, 2022

    Quite easy and good.

• Stew of lentils and sausage (Lenticchie con salsicce)

  • kbrooks on December 21, 2025

    Outstanding! Just a few ingredients, fairly quick and easy, packs a ton of flavor. After removing the sausage casings and cutting the Italian sausage into 2" pieces, I formed them into meatballs rather than breaking the meat up into the sauce. I had some homemade tomato coulis, so used that in place of the tomato puree. Used French green lentils du puy. Served over creamy polenta.

• Trieste-style stew of beans, bacon, and sauerkraut (Jota)

  • kbrooks on March 31, 2026

    Made this with Rancho Gordo mayacoba beans and pancetta. Very homey comfort stew. The sauerkraut seemed like an odd addition but it really works.

  • susan_7975wr on May 11, 2026

    Wow! So good and easy! Used Rancho Gordo Rio Zapes but most dried beans would work. Just cook them first. Used the bean broth and a heaping tablespoon of Better Than Boullion Chicken. Also added a large sprinkle of Spice House Old Italian Seasoning. Love that it doesn't make a huge amount. Fit easily in my 6 qt pot!