A Hearty Italian Soup, Great for Using up Leftovers in the Fridge and Pantry
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil, or Vegetable Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion, peeled and diced
- 2 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 Cup of Carrot, scrubbed and diced
- 1 Cup of Celery, washed and diced
- 2 Small Tomatoes, washed and diced
- 2 Cups of Green Beans, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 4 Cups of Vegetable Stock, or water
- 1 Can of Beans; Cannellini or Chickpeas
- 200 Grams of Dried Pasta, see Note Below
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
- Add the oil to a large stock pot at medium heat. Once the oil is hot sauté the onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes, until soft
- Add the carrot and celery, then sauté for another 10 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft.
- Add the tomatoes green beans and tomato paste, and let it brown for 1-2 minutes, until you can smell the tomato start to cook. Then add the stock, or water, mixing it into the tomato paste and vegetables with either a spoon or a whisk. You don’t want anything stuck to the bottom of the pan, so make sure to mix it thoroughly.
- Bring the stock to a simmer, then add the can of beans. You can strain them if you wish, but you can add the liquid from the can right into the soup.
- Add the pasta, as well as some salt and pepper. If it looks like there isn’t enough liquid in the pot, add some water now, as the pasta will begin to absorb it immediately.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
*Note* A tip from Jamie Oliver’s recipe for this soup is that it’s a great way to use up bits of different leftover pasta you have in the pantry. Feel free to combine several different pasta shapes, just make sure to break longer pastas such as spaghetti or linguine into smaller pieces, so everything will cook evenly.
