Author :: Mrs Liz
Category :: Soups/Stews/Chili (hot & cold)
Ingredients ::
- 1-2 Tablespoons good olive oil
- 2 sweet onions, thickly sliced
- 2 small carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
- 1/2 red or yellow pepper, sliced into thin strips
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tespoon dried basil
- pinch of dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- ham cut 1/4 inch dice, amount to taste (OR delete for meatless dish)
- 1 small can whole tomatoes (retain juice)
- 7 cups chicken broth
- 2 (19 oz. cans) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (can substitute other white beans)
- 5 oz. dry pasta, ie. rotelle, shells, rigatoni, penne
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese
From: Jose Minsky
In a soup pot, add olive oil and warm. Add onions, carrots and pepper. Saute until slightly softened, about 8 minutes.
Add garlic, basil, oregano and bay leaf. Cook 2 minutes longer.
Add tomatoes and cook, crushing them against the side of the pot until they're the consistency of tomato sauce, about six minutes.
Add broth and beans and bring to a boil.
Use a spoon to mash about 1/4 of the beans, to thicken slightly.
Add ham, lower the heat and simmer 20 minutes.
About 10 to 15 minutes before serving, return to boil, add pasta and stir. Boil gently, uncovered until te pasta is al dente, about 6 to 7 minutes.
Thin with reserved tomato liquid if soup has become too thick. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.
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