1- 8
ounce can of tomato SAUCE. Not paste, not puree. Just sauce.
1- 8 oz
can of water (equals the 8 oz can of sauce)
1- 16 oz
can of cannellini beans with the liquid from the can. Add some
water to get it all out.
about a
half pound of ditalini, elbows, or whatever you like, Cooked! I
use small shells and don't do quite a half pound. If there's any
left over soup, the pasta swells and makes the soup thick. It
tastes as good thickened as it does when freshly made. Can
always add more water if needed.
parsley
a small
sprinkle of grated cheese
meatballs-optional
(A few meatballs added to the soup add body to it. The original
recipe doesn't call for them. I make mine of very low-fat beef,
grated cheese, Italian bread crumbs, garlic powder, oregano,
salt and pepper, the white of an egg (No yolks are needed, too
much fat.) and enough water to moisten everything. Only a few
meatballs are needed, 5 or 6 are okay. Cook them in the oven on
375 for about 25 minutes. Don't fry them. They aren't absolutely
needed, but I prefer them. Adds body and taste. Chicken can also
be used. When adding chicken, simply sauté a cutlet, cut into small
pieces and add. Pasta e fagioli doesn't need a large amount of protein,
because of the beans. Easy does it in the meat department. I try to keep it
very low fat).
-In a sauce pan brown the garlic in olive oil.
-Add the tomato sauce and water.
-Simmer 10 minutes.
-Add the beans and parsley and simmer 10 minutes more.
-Add the pasta. If it looks too thick, add more water.
-Take the cooled meatballs and smush them in your hands and toss them in
the pot.
-Drop some cheese on top and serve it with loaf of good bread with a
crunchy crust.
I've
made this several times lately. Claire and Valerie would eat it a couple times
a week if I made it that often! Tim, Joe, Meg and Mike like it too. Emily only
eats my chicken soup. On Sunday and Monday I made 2 pots of it and it all
went.
The recipe above came from an old
friend. I actually use a very large can of tomato sauce, sometimes 3 cans, and
a couple cans of cannellinis. Every drop of is is always eaten. It's good the
next day and freezes very well. The pasta can be cooked a day ahead, and the
meatballs too. It's low cost and easy to do, maybe 25 minutes from start
to finish, without the meatballs. Delicious either way.
