This is a practical, everyday pasta and beans made with pre-cooked cannellini beans.
It keeps the classic technique of cooking the pasta directly in the pot, but avoids the long soaking and cooking time required for dried beans.

Ingredients

• 250–300 g cooked cannellini beans
• 140–150 g short pasta, broken (ditalini, maltagliati, or broken tagliatelle)
• 1 small onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 large sprig of rosemary
• 1 sage leaf (optional)
• 1 scant tablespoon tomato paste
• 500 ml broth (see note below)
• Hot water, as needed
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and black pepper
• (Optional) a well-cleaned Parmesan or Pecorino rind
  Broth note
  Traditionally this dish is made with vegetable broth or bean cooking water.
  I personally prefer it with meat broth, which gives more depth and richness. Both work well.

Directions

1. Build the base
   Heat a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil in a saucepan.
   Add the finely chopped onion, the crushed garlic clove, rosemary, and sage.
   Cook gently for 4–5 minutes, without browning.
2. Tomato paste
   Add the scant tablespoon of tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring, to remove raw acidity.
3. Create the bean cream
   Add half of the cannellini beans.
   Crush them directly in the pot using a meat mallet (or a heavy utensil) to create a coarse, rustic cream.
4. Add the broth
   Pour in the broth and bring to a gentle simmer.
   If the mixture is too thick, add a little hot water.
   Add the cheese rind now, if using.
5. Cook the pasta
   Add the pasta directly to the pot and cook it risotto-style, stirring often and adding hot water only if needed.
6. Add whole beans
   About 5 minutes before the pasta is fully cooked, add the remaining whole beans.
7. Rest
   Season with salt and black pepper.
   Turn off the heat and let rest for 5 minutes. This step is essential for the right texture.
8. Finish and serve
   Remove the herb sprigs and cheese rind.
   Finish with a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and serve hot.
   ⸻
   Using Dried Beans (Traditional Method)
   If you have more time and want to make the dish from scratch:
   • Soak 250 g dried cannellini beans in cold water for 10–12 hours.
   • Drain and cook gently in fresh water with a garlic clove and a bay leaf until tender (60–90 minutes).
   • Salt only at the end.
   • Use the beans as in the recipe above, replacing part or all of the broth with the bean cooking liquid.