Pasta e Fagioli

This soup is what my mom would call a "happy accident." This wasn't going to be the other night's dinner (or most likely, any night's, any time soon.) Instead, I had quick and easy recipe to try out that I was looking forward to. But those plans came to a halt when I discovered last minute, that the key ingredient had somehow gone bad (and we're not talking questionable, but trashcan bound). I knew I needed to come up with something quickly, working with what I had on hand. I wasn't feeling in a particularly creative mood and at this point, I just wanted a straightforward recipe to work with. My next obstacle was that my biggest source for recipes- and especially when I am pressed for time- is the Internet. Which just happened to be down at the time.

I grabbed the file folder that I keep of recipes torn from magazines and quickly skimmed through it. I stopped at Everyday Food's Pasta e Fagioli, only because I had everything and it looked easy. I got to work, but even as I was making it, I'd already written it off as "something to feed us" and little else. It seemed rather ordinary, and the photo accompanying it wasn't really that impressive, at least not compared to what you normally see in the magazine. As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure why I saved the recipe in the first place. But man, am I glad I did! This might've just been a means to get dinner on the table, but it wound up being something I will make again and again.


Pasta e Fagioli
adapted slightly from Everyday Food, December 2010
serves 4

I want to note that I used a can of diced tomatoes flavored with basil, garlic and oregano and a can of (broken up) stewed tomatoes in this. They were both bought on accident, and have been just hanging out in my pantry, because they contained high fructose corn syrup. While I will make this with my regular diced tomatoes next time, I think the sweetness added to the soup, so I'd suggest adding in a little bit of the sweetener of your choice if the tomatoes you use are not sweet.

1 tbsp olive oil
3 celery ribs, chopped
3 carrots, in medium dice
1/2 large red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2 (14.5 oz) cans or 1 (28 oz) can of diced tomatoes
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 Parmesan rind, plus additional freshly grated parmesan for serving
1 cup whole grain shells, or other small pasta
1 (15.5 oz) can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
I cup coarsely chopped fresh baby spinach, stems removed

In a good sized heavy pot, such as a Dutch Oven or casserole, heat oil over medium. Add celery, carrots, onion and garlic. Season with oregano, a few pinches of salt and several grinds of pepper. Cook stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes, broth and Parmesan rind. Increase heat to high and simmer rapidly until liquid thickens slightly, 5 minutes. Stir in pasta and cook, partially covered, until pasta is just shy of al dente (for my pasta, this took about 10 minutes).

Add beans and continue to cook for a few minutes, until they are warmed through and pasta is al dente. Remove from heat and stir in chopped spinach. Serve topped with grated parmesan.