White Bean & Tiny Pasta Soup

This is the easiest soup and one of my favorite family recipe soups. In our family cookbook, it’s attributed to by Aunt Townley. It’s the one my mom makes for me if I’m not feeling well (or that I steal out of her fridge any time I see it). It’s another one of those things that I have previously been reluctant to make, out of fear that my attempt wouldn’t live up to the taste in my memory. Turns out, I shouldn’t have been worried. It’s so easy, and my mom shared the tips and tricks that make her version just the way I like it! This soup is a great one to make a big pot of and keep in the fridge for lunches for the week. It also holds up to freezing and reheating well. It’s also perfect to keep on the stove on a snowy weekend day like today!

White Bean & Tiny Pasta Soup

(Aunt Townley!)

Ingredients: 

• 6oz bacon
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Several turns of fresh ground black pepper
• 6 cups of chicken stock
• 8oz tiny pasta (ditalini or smaller)

Instructions:

1. Slice the bacon into lardons and cook in a large pot over medium heat until the bacon has released its fat and is starting to crisp.
2. Meanwhile, puree the celery, onion, and garlic in a food processor. Add this into the pot with the bacon. Add the remaining ingredients, stir together, and adjust heat to a slight simmer.
3. Cook for ~1 hour.
4. Cook your pasta per package directions in a separate pot of boiling water. Once cooked and drained, add the pasta into the soup. Taste and add salt if needed.