Pasta e Fagioli

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup dried borlotti (cranberry) beans

5 cups water

2 medium carrots, sliced

2 celery ribs, sliced

Parmesan cheese rinds

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1/2 cup uncooked ditalini or other small tubular pasta

Salt

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onion for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes longer.

Transfer the mixture to a 7-quart slow cooker and add the beans, water, carrots, celery, Parmesan rinds, and tomato sauce. Cover and cook on LOW for about 6 hours, or until the beans are tender.

About 1 hours before serving, stir in the ditalini and add the salt to taste. Cook for about 1 hour, or until the ditalini is cooked al dente.

Ladle your soup into bowls and serve with a dusting of Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of parsley.

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About

Also known as "pasta fazool," this is another rustic Italian favorite, and like minestrone and ribollita, its contents may vary from season to season, region to region, and cook to cook. Perhaps the main difference between pasta e fagioli (which means "pasta and beans") and the other classic Italian soups is the addition of pasta. While ditalini or small elbow macaroni are traditional, there are many other interesting types of pasta that would also work well. Bortolli (cranberry) beans are also traditional, but I've made this soup using pinquitos, white beans, and a 10-bean mixture, all with good results. Use as many Parmesan cheese rinds as you'd like.

A typical Italian finish for a soup is to drizzle fruity olive oil over the top of each serving at the table. You could do that instead of or in addition to the parsley and the Parmesan.

Note: This recipe is from 50 Simple Soups for the Slow Cooker by Lynn Alley. Authorization to print courtesy of Andrews McMeel Publishing.