Pasta e Fagoli Soup

I posted this picture the other night, and as promised, here is the recipe for pasta e fagoli. Pasta e fagoli is a very traditional Tuscan soup incorporating pasta and white or red beans. The proper recipe is pretty loose, as I've had it many ways -- vegan, with meat, with white beans, kidney beans, ditalini, elbow macaroni; there's not a wrong way to make it, but the basic recipe is small, dried pasta with beans, tomatoes, and stock. 

I was sick and needing some soup, but also wanting something hardy and nourishing. I had some leftover ground beef that I wanted to use up, so I decided to make this version decidedly not vegan. This recipe is merely a blueprint, so feel free to drop the meat, change out the beans, you get the idea. 

Pasta e Fagoli

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 lb ground beef

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 rib celery, trimmed and diced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup white wine

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock 

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional, but I like it spicy!)

1 can cannellini beans, drained

1 cup dried small pasta

salt and black pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat the oil, then cook the meat. Add the carrots, celery, and garlic, taking care not to burn. Deglaze the pan with the wine, then add the crushed tomatoes, seasonings and stock. Allow to come to a boil, then turn down the heat and add the beans. 

In a separate pot, boil the pasta in water and drain. Cooking the pasta in the soup will soak up a lot of liquid over time, so add the pasta to the soup after it is cooked. Pour the drained pasta into the soup, test the seasonings (I always want more salt), and serve in shallow bowls, topping with grated parmesan cheese, if desired.