Winter soup

Sunday, March 1, 2015

"Like Brooms of Steel
The Snow and Wind
Had swept the Winter Street -
The House was hooked,
The Sun sent out
Faint Deputies of Heat - "

- from "Like Brooms of Steel", Emily Dickinson

Is the beginning of March too late to post a soup recipe? I feel like I've made more soup this winter than ever before, and with good reason. February 2015 was officially the coldest month in Toronto history. I spent most of the month looking for food that might warm me from the inside out.

I think I've made this soup every winter since I've been married. Pasta e Fagioli (pasta and bean soup) is comfort food at its easiest and most warming. I don't know where I got the recipe, but I urge you to try it. Because from the sound of the weather forecast, we've still got a few weeks of winter yet to come.


Pasta e Fagioli

5 slices bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 – 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 rib celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
19 ounce can white beans, rinsed well and drained
2 cups drained canned tomatoes (drain before measuring)
1/2 cup dried macaroni

In a heavy saucepan, cook the bacon until browned and beginning to crisp. Add onion and stir until golden brown. Add garlic, celery and carrot and stir for 2 – 3 minutes.

Remove pan from the heat and drain fat. Return to heat and add chicken broth, stirring to combine.

In a bowl, mash about a third of the white beans. Add mashed and whole beans to the soup, along with the tomatoes, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add macaroni and simmer until al dente, about 6 – 8 minutes or according to directions on the package.

Add chicken broth as required (soup will thicken as it stands).


20 comments:

Marcela said...

Perfect soup for me! I caught a cold few days ago... I'm dying to try your warm, lovely winter soup <3

grace said...

yum! i made the mistake once of putting pasta in a huge batch of soup...by the time it was all gone, the noodles were mush and so gross. now i add the pasta separately. :)

Julie said...

One of my favorite soups. Perfect for a Sunday night supper. I know, can you believe it's 3/1 and still so cold? Winter is too long. :)

Gloria Baker said...

This soup look delicious!
We will have autumn soon!

Cheri Savory Spoon said...

Hi Beth, my mother - in - law makes a similar soup, love this!!!!!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Sounds like a great soup recipe if I take out the meat. Thanks.

Monica said...

I would be happy if I could have some soup in the fridge or freezer all winter long...and these days, it seems winter goes on and on and on...We had more snow yesterday here in NJ and I was wishing we hadn't finished our lentil soup from a few days ago. I love this one!

Tricia Buice said...

We are also very weary of winter and look forward to spring flowers, gardens and longer days. It does seem like we had a lot of soup this year - but I'm not complaining. Love the combination of white beans and tomatoes - delicious! Have a great week Beth!

Anonymous said...

Definitely not to late for a soup recipe. We're having a snow day today!

Valerie Gamine said...

It's always a good time for soup & Emily Dickinson. Stay warm Beth, we're almost through this miserable winter. :-)

Unknown said...

It's never too late for soup! I always love it. It was the second coldest February here. I'm ready for some warmth!

Pam said...

Great poem and soup is good any time! More cruddy weather on the way here tonight, but Spring certainly has to get here sometime, maybe June! Stay warm, Beth!

Jemi Fraser said...

I've never done bacon in a soup - but this combination sounds yummy! I think I've made soup every weekend this winter and we're nowhere close to spring yet, so I'll try this one this weekend!

Juliana said...

What a delicious soup Beth...I love soup, and would love to have a bowl of this soup right now...
Have a wonderful week :)

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

Never too late for soup! We had snow on Sunday and freezing rain today. What a miserable winter! Your pasta e fagioli would hit the spot.

Joanne said...

Mmmmm so perfect for this weather...though given all the snow we're about to get, I think I might need a whole pot rather than one bowl! :P

Stephen Tremp said...

The soup looks like just what I need. Been feeling a bit under the weather these days and soup is always good for what's ailing me.

Kitchen Riffs said...

I love this soup! So many different ways to make it, and they're all good. Yours is outstanding. We've been making loads of soup too -- in fact had some last night. The last few weeks have been very cold, with nasty weather. Looking forward to spring!

Inger @ Art of Natural Living said...

This looks so warming. I wish it were too late to post it, but alas not.

Do you have any problems with the macaroni getting mushy? That is always my fear with pasta in soups...

Beth said...

Hi Inger, yes, I've had that happen. Other than eating it all at one serving, you could also just put enough macaroni in for the first serving, then cook it with fresh macaroni the next time you serve it. One of the previous commenters suggested that, and I'll try it the next time I make this soup.

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