Happy Wednesday, everyone! I hope you are having a great week.
We are now halfway through Hunger Action Month (!), which means that I want to share my absolute favorite recipe that I developed for my local food pantry – Bean and Pasta Soup. This soup was my lunchtime staple during my study abroad in Italy because it was delicious and nutritious (and cheap!). Re-creating it for the food pantry brought me back to those simpler times and the Italians’ food philosophy that everyone should have access to good, healthy food (no matter what their socio-economic status was).
This soup is chock full of beans, pasta, and tomato, which makes it a perfect, hearty meal for a chilly fall day. Plus, it utilizes pantry staples that are cheap, easy to purchase, and available all year round.
And it starts with adding some vegetable oil to a medium-to-large soup pot set over medium heat…
… when the oil heats up, I tossed in some diced onion and let it cook until it became soft and translucent.
When the onion was all cooked, I added in a can of whole tomatoes (juice and all!) that I broke into pieces with my wooden spoon.
You can totally cut the tomatoes in the can with a pair of kitchen shears (like my mom) or crush the tomatoes into the pot with your hands (like my grandma) if you want an easier tomato “chopping” method. But the side of a wooden spoon works too (if you’re lazy like me!).
Then I chucked in a couple cans of drained (and rinsed) beans – cannellini and garbanzo (chickpeas).
My soup in Italy only had garbanzo beans, but I like the texture differences between the soft, creamy cannellini beans and the more hearty, firm garbanzo beans. If you like one bean more than the other, feel free to use just one type (the soup will be just as delicious).
Now for the liquid. I poured in some low sodium chicken broth and water, cranked up the heat, and brought everything to a boil.
When the liquid was at a boil, I tossed in half a box (what was remaining from the Vegetable Soup with Pasta) of ditalini pasta. Any small pasta shape works here, but I just love these little tubes!
Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. When the pasta is done cooking, the soup is finished – how easy was that? All that’s left is to serve up…
And chow down!
I hope you enjoy this food pantry-friendly recipe and share it with your family, friends, and community! If you try this recipe or donate its ingredients to your local food pantry, let me know using the hashtag #GSFfightshunger.
Because together, we can end hunger.
oxox,
C
This recipe was featured in Perfect Eats on i’mperfect magazine, check it out here: http://im-perfectmagazine.com/bean-and-pasta-soup/
- 1 small onion, chopped small
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1-15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed thoroughly
- 1-15oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly
- 1-15oz can no-salt added whole tomatoes
- 2-14oz cans fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
- 8oz small tube pasta (like ditalini)
- Additional water
- In a large soup pot with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat.
- Add in the chopped onion and cook until the onion becomes soft.
- Add in the beans and the canned whole tomatoes (juice and all!). Stir to combine and to break up the tomatoes into smaller chunks.
- Add in the chicken broth, plus an additional 2 cans full of water. Bring the broth to a boil. When the water is boiling, add in the pasta. Cook according to the package directions.
- Serve immediately or let cool completely and refrigerate for 2-3 days or freeze for 1-2 months.
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