Easy Pasta e Fagioli
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, chopped
4 cups water
1 zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 russet potato, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 (15 ounce) can white beans, not drained
juice from 1 (15 ounce) can Italian stewed tomatoes
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon basil
1/2-1 teaspoon thyme
1/2-1 teaspoon marjoram
2 cups cooked pasta, pasta water reserved
1. In soup pot, warm olive oil over high heat. Add garlic and onion and cook until slightly browned. (2-3 minutes).
2. Add water and reduce to medium heat. Add zucchini, potato, beans, tomato juice, and spices.
3. Let simmer until vegetables are softened. (about 10 minutes).
4. Add cooked pasta, plus some of water cooked in, and allow soup to thicken and vegetables to soften to desired consistency. (about 10 minutes)
My aunt made this for me when I visited her, and it is also wonderful heated up the next day.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
I used a pressure cooker for this, cooking the (dry garbanzos, pre-soaked) beans separately from the veggies & then stirring everything together. I also cooked the pasta separately, combining the pasta with the soup immediately before serving, so that the pasta wouldn't be mushy.
Added chopped carrots and celery to equal the amount of zucchini.
Omitted the basil. Added a bay leaf. Added some Bac'Uns for flavor.
Instead of tomato juice, I just used a few spoonfuls of canned tomatoes with juice.
This is a wonderful recipe! And, obviously, very flexible.
Fabulous when re-heated and again, I cooked the pasta separately.