I love soup. In particular, really hearty soup with crusty bread. It makes me feel all cozy and warm and happy. The best part about soup is that it’s crazy easy to prepare, especially in these days of really good prepared broths and stocks at the grocery store. It’s as easy as sauteing a veggie or two in a pot, adding your broth and goodies, then cooking for a bit. And to sweeten the pot so to speak, soup is almost always better the next day. For food safety reasons, just be sure that your soup is totally cool before you pop it in the fridge for the night.
This soup is perfect if you’ve got some leftover ham hanging around. Just be sure to use a low-sodium chicken broth to keep the salt level in your soup in check.
Hearty Pasta e Fagioli with Ham
Serves: 6
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 16-ounce cans white kidney beans (cannellini beans), drained and rinsed
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups leftover Smithfield ham, diced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup ditalini or tubetini pasta, uncooked
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- Grated Parmesan cheese
Place oil in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, then cook garlic, about 1 minute, until fragrant and softened. Add white kidney beans, tomato, chicken broth, ham, pepper, and pasta; increase heat to high. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
To serve, stir in parsley and top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Recipe adapted from Smithfield Ham
