Pasta e Fagioli

Pasta E Fagioli (Soup with Pasta and Beans)

When I stepped outside this morning I was greeted by a bit of rain, a strong breeze, and much cooler temperatures than we’ve had around here lately.

Not to mention kids are back in school, college football is in its second weekend and pro football has kicked off as well.

Must be Fall (or at least all signs are starting to point that its right around the corner).

For me, Fall means really digging in to some classic comfort foods meant to warm you up.  Hearty soups, chili and stews come to mind.

One of my all-time favorite soups is an Italian soup with pasta and beans, Pasta e Fagiloi.

This is a soup my mom made time and time again.  With her broken English I never really knew what she was saying.  I thought it was Pasta Fa-Jew (no offense to my Jewish followers).  For years, that’s what I called it.  Doesn’t matter how its pronounced, I just knew it was good soup.

Simple ingredients, easy to make, and extremely satisfying.  Be sure to serve it with a nice piece of crusty bread to sop up any soup you can’t get with the spoon.

Enjoy!

Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 large garlic cloves, minced 1 large carrot, chopped fine 2 celery stalks, chopped fine 1 small onion, chopped fine 1 14oz can chopped tomatoes 2 14oz cans cannelloni beans, rinsed well 1 quart chicken broth 1 box of small pasta (tubes — ditalini — small shells or elbow noodles would work too) Salt and Pepper to taste Cook pasta according to instructions, drain and set aside. Heat oil in a soup pot.  Cook onion, carrot and celery until soft. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add broth, beans, and tomatoes and cook 20-30 minutes. Add cooked pasta and salt and pepper to taste. (*see note) Cook a few minutes until pasta is warm. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and grated parmesan cheese. NOTE: I actually add the amount of pasta I want to my bowl, then ladle soup over the pasta. Doing so controls the amount of pasta to soup ratio AND the pasta doesn’t suck up all of the broth

Is it soup? Is it pasta? Pasta Fa-Jew