Pasta e Fagioli

There's nothing better on a cold, gray, football watching Saturday than a big pot of soup. Many people would vote for chili (which I love too) but Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and Bean Soup) is the Italian iteration and probably my favorite. My Mom has been making this my whole life. Either she doesn't have a recipe written down or I've just never gotten it from her- but I've created my own which I think tastes pretty similar.

4 or 5 Italian Sausage links (I use hot) 1 med onion (chopped) 1 large carrot (chopped) 3 cloves of garlic (minced) 1 or 2 celery stalks 1 med size zucchini 2 cans petite diced tomatoes 2 cans white beans 2 T tomato paste 1 container of chicken stock 1 ½ cups water 1 to 1 ½ cups ditalini or macaroni pasta (uncooked)1 tsp dried oregano 1 and ½ springs of fresh rosemary 4 springs of fresh thyme A handful of fresh basil leaves (could use dried herbs if you want to) I like to add 2/3 cup of jarred marinara (Classico Tomato Basil is great)... however you’d be fine without it. Like the tomato paste, it adds some sweetness and depth to balance the acid of the diced tomatoes. It gives it more of the slow-cooked-all-day-flavor even though you can’t do that with Pasta e Fagioli because you’ll turn your veggies and pasta to mush. I remove the sausages from the casing and put them into my 7+ quart dutch oven to brown in some olive oil- breaking the sausage apart into smaller crumbles while it cooks. Once it’s mostly brown, (you might want to remove some of the fat that renders , leave some though) I add the oregano, rosemary and thyme (I throw the sprigs in whole and then fish the stems out at the very end). Cook for 2 mins or so before adding your chopped onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Season well with salt and pepper and then cook for 8-10 minutes - until the onion is translucent. Next I add the tomato paste and cook for a minute or two, stirring to incorporate into the vegetable-sausage mixture. Then I add the diced tomatoes, marinara, beans, chicken stock and water- I stir to combine and let simmer over medium to low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring every so often. (Note: You can stop here if you want to prepare it in advance and then reheat the soup to a boil to cook the pasta just before serving.) Otherwise, you bring the soup to a boil (medium heat should do it) and you're ready to add your pasta and zucchini.

**The soup should look a little on the “liquidy” side at this point which is good. If not, add some extra water before you add the pasta. (Don't forget to bring it back up to a boil) Otherwise the pasta absorbs a lot of liquid and the soup gets too thick. The ditalini takes about 8 minutes to cook (see package instructions if you use another shaped pasta) I wait to cook my zucchini at this point because I don't like to risk it getting mushy. Once the pasta is cooked to al dente, turn the heat back down to simmer until you’re ready to serve. Throw your fresh basil in at the very last minute and serve with finely grated parmesan cheese and crusty bread for dipping.

This recipe makes a big old pot. Easily serves 8-10 people or makes for a few days of left-overs.