Jul 21, 2009

just one more...


I want to share one more soup recipe for now, then I promise to get off the food channel for a while! A friend brought us this soup last month when I had the surgery on my arm. She's a sister-Italian and a really good cook too. However, I did make a few small changes in her recipe to make it "mine". But basically it is the same...mine is just a bit more, shall we say, "hearty".

Pasta e'Fagioli
(Italian pasta & bean soup)

In medium to large pot, cook about 48 ounces chicken broth, 1 small to medium size onion (diced), a couple diced carrots, and 1-2 ribs of celery, diced. Cook about 20 minutes till vegetables are tender.

Add one 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, two 15.5 ounce cans Great Northern white beans, 1# browned lean ground beef that has been cooked with one clove chopped garlic, 1/2 -3/4 c. ditalini macaroni (or really any small pasta), 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper, one Tbsp. dry sweet basil, one Tbsp. dry parsley, and one Tbsp. dry oregano. (be sure to crush the dry herbs between your hands to bring out the flavor)

Continue cooking until macaroni is soft, but be careful not to overcook as it will absorb the broth.

And be a good Italian (or Italian-imitator) and please serve with lots of Parmesan cheese and crusty bread & butter.

3 comments:

Wanda..... said...

I make a very similar soup often Jacquelyn...it is a favorite of my grandchildren...although I leave out the hambuger and add lots of chopped spinach.

I would take homemade soup with crusty bread (or cornbread or buttermilk biscuits) over icecream anyday...

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful and hearty dish! (Not good for me to view this right before lunch! hee hee)
I agree with Wanda - I'll take homemade soup any day!
Thanks for sharing.

Jacquelyn Stager said...

I read somewhere that if we would make soup our meal once a day, we would lose weight. They must have meant without the bread & butter!
HA!