pasta fagioli

a delicious italian soup literally called pasta and beans; traditionally a meatless peasant dish due to the availability of pasta and beans. there are many variations and it was typically made with whatever was left over from the week. but the base is beans, pasta, and tomato.

also known as pasta fazool. (this pic is almost what mine looked like. this one has turkey italian sausage in it though) -------->

as per usual, i just winged it. this is one of my favorite soups, ever. anytime i get it, even if not at italian restaurants, i'm pleased.

i like bacon! so i started out with bacon roughly chopped and 6 Tbsp of minced garlic. then added some onion. cooked to perfection (for me).

i then added canned tomato, juice and all, directly to the pot.

add chicken broth. as much soup as you want.

bring to a boil and add any type of white bean. typically cannellini. and whatever pasta you have. i had pinwheel.

boil until pasta is al dente because it will continue to soften in the soup.

add some parmesan cheese right on top when served if you like it.

i do. and so does mom.

as for the ratios, i just used a few slices of bacon, mostly for flavor. i like a lot of garlic and a little onion so that's what i used. the tomato and bean ratio is one to one. for chicken broth, 3 times the amount of bean/tomato. so if i used one can of beans and one can of tomato, i would use three cans of chicken broth. i completely guessed on the pasta, but i think it would be equivalent to two cans if using that as a measure.

it's a nice healthy soup. and just gets better as leftovers.