New Year's "Good Luck" Pasta Fazool

It's a scientific fact that eating pork, beans, or greens at the beginning of a new year brings you great luck-just imagine if we put all three of those things together in a single dish. This is so satisfying and delicious that even if it brought me bad luck, I'd still make it. Best served with some crusty, toasted bread.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
• Calories: 293 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ cup diced onion
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ½ cup diced celery
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 large bunch Swiss chard
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste (Optional)
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained
• 12 ounces bacon, sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 1 ¼ cups orecchiette pasta
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, or to taste (Optional)
• 1 drizzle olive oil (Optional)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place a cold soup pot over medium heat. Add sliced bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the fat has rendered out and the bacon begins to crisp up, about 5 minutes. Drain off most of the excess fat with a paper towel if desired, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot. Add onions, celery, and salt. Saute until and softened onions turn translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.

Step 2

Stir in black pepper, cayenne, dried thyme, dried oregano, and tomato paste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato paste starts to caramelize onto the bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic, and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 more minutes. Stir in chicken broth and water and raise the heat to high. Bring to a simmer over high heat; reduce heat to medium and let simmer while you prep the Swiss chard.

Step 3

Remove chard leaves from tough stems. Gather a handful of leaves and slice across in one direction; turn and slice across again. Repeat with remaining chard. Place into a bowl and fill with water. Swish around to remove dirt; transfer washed greens a handful at a time to another bowl to drain.

Step 4

Stir the Swiss chard into the pot and simmer over medium heat until greens become tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt.

Step 5

Stir in the drained beans and raise the heat to high; bring to a boil. Stir in pasta and reduce heat to medium-high. Cook until the pasta is tender, stirring occasionally, 12 to 15 minutes.

Step 6

Once the pasta is tender, check the seasoning. Serve immediately in large bowls. Garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, and red pepper flakes.