Pasta Fagioli

Remember in my Sausage Pasta post I said that I get a recipe daily from All Recipes via email? It's called The Daily Dish and really, in one email, you get two recipes. All Recipes tries to make a nice balance -- if one of the recipes is meaty, the other might be vegetarian. Anyway, this is another recipe that was sent to me by email that struck a chord with me.

I liked that the ingredients were very simple; that beans and pasta were part of the mix. As far as I'm concerned, that's just about perfect. The fact that the recipe called for what I essentially consider pantry items was a total win. I didn't change anything but the type of pasta. Oh, and I pretty much doubled the original recipe since I keep 15 oz cans of tomato sauce instead of 8 oz cans.

Pasta Fagioli
adapted from All Recipes

4 stalks celery, chopped

2 onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp and 1 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
29 oz chicken broth
4 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped OR 2 (15 oz) cans of diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 c uncooked spinach small shell pasta
2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans, with liquid

salt to taste
Parmesan cheese, optional

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook celery, onion, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, and red pepper until onion is translucent.


Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes and tomato sauce, and simmer on low for 15 to 20 minutes.

Add pasta and cook 10 minutes, until pasta is tender.


Add undrained beans and mix well. Heat through and add salt to taste.


Serve with grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top if you like.

I was pleasantly surprised by how nice this soup tasted! It's quick to put together and while the ingredients aren't anything you'd expect to pack a serious punch, the flavors were great on the palate, subtle yet soothing. A nice hunk of crusty bread and a crunchy salad would be perfect accompaniments, just as the originator, Star Pooley suggested. While I skipped the cheese because the beans weren't drained (and thus I suspected there was enough salt already), I can see how it would provide heartier consistency.

The only thing I regret is that I followed the instructions to cook the soup after the pasta addition for 10 minutes. That is total overkill. My small shell pasta was plumped up to the size of medium shells by the time I was ready to eat. Unfortunately, since I plan on freezing a majority of the soup in serving sizes, the pasta is certainly going to be pitiful, if not downright gross. Next time, I'll add the pasta and beans simultaneously, then leave over heat until warmed through. I'm sure that will be sufficient to cook the pasta while leaving it more al dente instead of al mushe.

Cost:

• celery: $0.40
• onion: $0.72
• broth: $0.42
• tomatoes: $1.60
• tomato sauce: $1
• pasta: $0.33
• beans: $2.38

Total: $6.85 or $0.86 for each of 8 servings.

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