Magnificent Meatless Meal- Pasta e Fagioli

🍲Pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans) ❣️

❤️A soup my family made often during Lent for a good hearty, healthy meatless meal❣️

It’s in between a soup and stew, made with puréed plum tomatoes, garlic, basil, cannellini beans and ditalini pasta. Serve with a crisp salad and a hot loaf of garlic bread and you have a meal❣️

Garnish with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese❣️

Make a big batch to freeze for a convenient dinner after a long day❣️Just let the soup cool down in the refrigerator overnight and spoon into containers to freeze up to 3 months❣️

En-JOY and cook for the love if it❣️

Alyssa ❌⭕️❤️

Alia-Style Pasta e Fagioli

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 carrots, finely chopped

4 celery stalks finely chopped

1 large sweet onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup white wine(optional

and your choice)

4 cups water

2 cans (28 ounces each )plum tomatoes, puréed in blender or use an immersion blender

2 cans(15. 5 ounces each) cannellini beans, undrained (puree one can in blender or use an immersion blender and keep other can whole)

1 cup basil leaves, rolled and gentry sliced in strips (culinary term called chiffonade)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Heat large stockpot

then drizzle with olive oil. Add garlic, carrots, celery and onion. Sauté over medium heat until tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add white wine(optional) and cook over medium heat until wine is evaporated.

Add water*, puréed tomatoes, puréed beans, basil, salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil and simmer 40 to 45 minutes. Add remaining whole beans with the liquid. If soup gets too thick , add a little extra water.

Serve with crusty Italian Bread and grated Parmesan Cheese

Makes about 8 servings but easily doubled or tripled❣️

TIPS:

*For extra boost of flavor use chicken stock, vegetable stock or beef stock instead of water.

For extra spice, add a few hot pepper flakes🌶️

If you would like to add more beans, please do.

Add 1/2 chopped pancetta when sautéing the veggies.

To freeze , chill soup over nite in refrigerator. This cools down the soup

and marries the flavors. Place in plastic freezable containers. Can freeze up to 3 months.