Tonight’s soup is pasta fagioli. I must admit that the whole make soups so that John has leftovers to eat while I am away is not going too well. We are supposed to be eating no more than half the soup but we like it so much that we have ended up leaving him only a lunch sized portion!

Pasta fagioli is basically what the name says, pasta and beans. We added carrots and celery and whizzed up some of the beans to give it a heartier consistency. You start with pancetta which is a star in this soup, render the fat from it and cook the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery in it. Then add a tablespoon of tomato paste. Deglaze the pan with red wine. Then add the stock and the beans plus the smushed beans. Cook for ten minutes and then add the ditalini. Cook for another 10 minutes. Done.

Serve with finishing oil and grated Parmesan cheese.

You can find the recipe by Giada deLaurentiis at the Food Network Cooking site.

Pasta fagioli