Description
As a Canadian, growing up in Toronto’s Little Italy, this soup was always on someone’s stovetop somewhere in the fall and winter months. Pasta, beans, and a thick broth, sprinkled with Parm or Romano, and served with fresh crusty Italian bread – what’s not to love? I spent a lot of time, back in the day, in the cucina with my friends and their mothers learning the basics of good Italian food!
Ingredients
- 1 cup ditalini pasta
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 quart chicken broth
- 1 (15 ounce) can Romano beans, drained
- ΒΌ cup tomato paste
- 1 pinch crushed dried chile pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 4 teaspoons grated Romano cheese, or to taste
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat; stir in the ditalini
- and return to a boil. Cook
- uncovered
- stirring occasionally
- until the pasta has cooked through
- but is still firm to the bite
- about 6 minutes; drain.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; stir in onion and bacon and saute until onions are soft
- about 5 minutes. Stir garlic into onion mixture; cook over medium-low heat just until fragrant
- about 1 minute.
- Stir chicken broth
- beans
- tomato paste
- and chile pepper into onion-bacon mixture; bring to a simmer and cook until fully heated through
- about 10 minutes. Stir ditalini and parsley into the soup; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle each serving with Romano cheese.
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Servings: 4