Italian Bean and Pasta Soup

When the weather is cool and you feel like staying indoors, it’s time to make pasta e fagioli, a favorite Italian meal in a bowl. It can be brothy or quite thick, depending upon personal taste.

Recipe courtesy of Williams-Sonoma Kitchen

Ingredients
2 cups dried cranberry, cannellini or other small white beans
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped pancetta
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
8 cups water or chicken stock, or as needed
1 1/2 cups diced canned plum tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt, plus more, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 pound small dried pasta, such as shells or ditalini
Extra-virgin olive oil for serving
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving

Preparation
1. Pick over the beans and discard any misshapen beans and stones. Rinse the beans, drain and place in a saucepan. Add water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain.
2. In a Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the pancetta and sauté, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and sauté, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes.
3. Add the water, beans, tomatoes and 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the beans are very tender, about 1 hour.
4. To give the soup more body, remove 2 large spoonfuls of beans and vegetables and puree in a blender or food processor, then return the puree to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and reheat gently.
5. When the soup is almost ready, bring a large saucepan three-fourths full of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta, stir well and cook until barely al dente (tender but firm to the bite), about 8 minutes or according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and add it to the soup. Simmer for 5 minutes more.
6. To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Top each serving with a swirl of extra-virgin olive oil, some grated cheese and a generous grinding of pepper.[[In-content Ad]]