White Bean and Pasta Soup (Pasta e Fagioli)

I am crazy in love with this soup, which is a take on the more traditional one that my mom used to make. It is an Italian soup, usually made with pancetta and cheese, which I veganized. I used a little brown sugar when caramelizing the vegetables and added nutritional yeast to give the broth some body. It is sooooooo good. I often double this recipe when I want to be sure there are some leftovers to enjoy.

White Bean and Pasta Soup

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp Earth Balance or other vegan margarine

1/2 yellow onion, diced small

1 carrot, diced small
1 stalk celery, diced small

1 tsp celery leaves, minced

1 clove garlic, minced
pinch of salt and pepper

1/2 tsp natural brown sugar

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp rosemary

1/2 tsp marjoram
1 bay leaf

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

6 oz tomato paste

4 cups vegetable broth (Better Than Bouillon is awesome)
1 1/2 cups water

15 oz can white beans, rinsed and drained

5 oz whole grain pasta shells

Directions:

Heat the oil and margarine in a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and let them start to cook down as you dice the carrots, celery, and celery leaves. Throw these veggies in the pot and them start to soften as you mince the garlic. Add the garlic, and let it heat through for a minute or so. Next, you add the seasonings, so add the salt, pepper, brown sugar, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, bay leaf, and the nutritional yeast. Give it a stir to coat the vegetables with all this great flavor. Then add the broth, tomato paste, and the beans and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes.

I like to prepare the pasta separately and add it at the end, so I can keep it al dente. So make the pasta according to package directions while the soup cooks, then drain and reserve the noodles.

After 30 minutes taste the soup, and adjust the seasonings to your liking. You can also add a bit more water at this point to thin out the broth if necessary. Add the pasta to the soup and serve.

With some hearty bread and a salad, this soup makes a wonderful meal.

For 6 servings. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 369 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  229 Calories from Fat  41

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  4.5g 7%

Saturated Fat  0.7g 4%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  579mg 24%

Potassium  778mg 22%

Total Carbohydrates  36.1g 12%

Dietary Fiber  7.2g 29%

Sugars  5.9g

Protein  12.2g

Vitamin A 43% • Vitamin C 13% Calcium 6% • Iron 21%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet