Ingredients
3 cups shelled fresh shelling beans (from about 2 pounds in pods), or 2 cans (each 14.5 ounces) cannellini, borlotti, or butter beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 bulb fennel, plus 1 cup chopped (from 1 large bulb)
1 whole peeled shallot, plus 1 cup chopped (from 1 large)
1 halved carrot, plus 2 to 3 more, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, lightly smashed, plus 1 tablespoon minced
Kosher salt (we use Diamond Crystal) and freshly ground pepper
2 pounds large tomatoes, such as beefsteak (3 to 4)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 tablespoon tomato paste
8 ounces pole beans, such as green beans or Romanos, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (2 cups)
4 cups water or vegetable stock (preferably homemade)
3 ounces short, flat pasta, such as stracci Toscani or lasagna noodles broken into 1-inch pieces
1 to 2 teaspoons red-or white-wine vinegar
4 cups dark leafy greens, such as dandelion, escarole, or lacinato kale, roughly chopped
Chopped fresh parsley and red-pepper flakes, such as Calabrian, for serving
Preparation
Combine shelled beans, fennel bulb, whole shallot, halved carrot, and smashed garlic cloves in a medium pot; add water to cover by 2 inches. Add 1 tablespoon salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until beans are creamy in centers, 40 to 50 minutes. Season to taste toward end of cooking.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Using a paring knife, lightly score bottom of each tomato with an X. Add tomatoes to boiling water and blanch until skin pulls away, 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer to ice bath. When cool enough to handle, peel tomatoes, remove seeds, and coarsely chop. (You should have about 2 1/2 cups.)
Heat oil in a medium pot over medium-high until shimmering. Add chopped fennel and shallot and sliced carrots; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden in places, about 5 minutes. Stir in minced garlic; cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring, until toasted, 1 minute more. Add chopped tomatoes; cook until tomato juices reduce slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in pole beans and water or stock; season. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and partially cover. Simmer until vegetables are tender and flavors meld, about 30 minutes.
Cook pasta in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente; drain. Stir 2 cups cooked shelling beans into soup; season with salt and vinegar to taste. Just before serving, stir in greens. Divide pasta and soup among bowls, and serve with a drizzle of oil and sprinkles of parsley and red-pepper flakes.
You can use any variety of fresh shelling beans you find at late-summer farmers’ markets, like dragon’s tongue, borlotti, or scarlet runner. Enjoy leftover cooked beans on toast, or tossed in a salad.
