Pasta e Fagioli - It's great soup!

As in most cases when it comes to making a pot of soup, this particular bowl of warm comfort is created from whatever the cook may have in the kitchen at the present time. The one given though is that it must have pasta and beans in it otherwise it would have to be named something else. It's a great winter night dinner and was a lovely aromatic greeting for the big guy when he arrived home last night after his late class. How do I know that? Well, the first thing out of his mouth was ..."boy does it smell good in here" and he was still in the garage when he said it. What does that tell ya?

This Italian comfort food is particularly easy and quick to put together, particularly since I used the food processor to do all the chopping. I threw a carrot, onion, celery rib and 5 cloves of garlic into my Cuisinart and gave it a whir while some bulk Italian sausage (I used sweet mild) was browning in the soup pot. It was removed from the pan and the vegetables sweated off, then joined by a slew of herbs and a half cup of marsala wine for more flavor. The sausage returned to the pot along with some pureed beans, chicken stock, tomatoes and another can of beans. Then I let the whole thing simmer lightly on the stove until the man of the house called to say he was on his way - then I added the pasta and turned off the heat so the pasta would cook slowly and we could gorf it all down without burning our tender little mouths. 

One thing about this particular soup is that you can add or subtract whatever you like to it - if you want to add some kale or chopped spinach, go ahead. If you'd rather leave out the tomatoes, you just do that. If you want some pancetta in it, be my guest! Just go ahead and do your thing! Download Pasta e Fagioli

It would be lovely with some crisp garlic toast but we just topped our bowls with fresh parsley and a little grated parmesan cheese and called it dinner. Believe me, it was a filling and fitting end to a cool Wednesday evening. In fact there's plenty left for lunch today which will be PERFECT, because it is absolutely pouring rain right now. Boy, are we ever gonna' have some gorgeous wildflowers if this keeps up!

Comments

[Lea]

Nothing better than an easy comfort soup to warm your tummy and soul on a cold late evening!!! Love getting the compliment from the garage!!!! And I bet I could sneak the pasta by my guy every once in a while!!!

[June]

Lea - for sure you could sneak the pasta by him this time, especially if you use orzo. This is good stuff!

[noble pig]

Oh geez it's beautiful...it looks so rich and hearty!! Love it.

[June]

Thanks Cathy. It is hearty for sure - would be great after a day in the vineyard, or on the slopes.

[The Gourmet Traveller]

Oh my goodness! That looks delicious! I loooove Italian food.

[June]

GT - so good to see you! Hope it's warmed up in jolly old London.

[Mags]

You know me.... I love all soups and am always looking for new recipes. Such a great way to clean out the fridge and end up with a tummy-warming dinner!

[Betty Prewitt]

This will be one of my monthly staples even in the heat of summer. This is the best soup - even better flavor than Olive Garden and that is hard to beat!!

Betty

[June]

Thanks Betty. So glad you tried it and that it's a hit!