Italian Pasta & Bean Soup

 

Notes

Original recipe is from Cooks Illustrated and I've included some recommendations from the comments including using anchovy paste, cooking the pasta separately, and using the pasta water to thicken the soup. Several folks suggested using petite diced tomatoes because the soup is very "tomato forward." Comments say that it can be made without the bacon. It can also probably be made vegetarian with mushroom stock and replacing the anchovy with soy sauce.

Cooks Illustrated says it's okay to replace anchovy fillets with anchovy paste in things like soups and stews because it's not the flavor that's highlighted. It's too fishy for things like caesar's salad dressing, where you want to taste the fish. 

Amounts listed are for a HALF recipe, with the full recipe amounts listed in (parentheses). 

After I tried it: there wasn't enough liquid in the petite diced tomatoes so I added a little pasta water after I heated up the tomatoes in step 5.

Ingredients 

1 1/2 t (1 T) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 

1.5oz (3oz) bacon, chopped fine 

1/2 (1) medium onion, chopped fine, about 1/2C (1C) 

1/2 (1) medium rib celery, chopped fine, about 1/3C (2/3C) 

2 (4) medium cloves garlic, minced, about 1.5 heaping tsp (1 heaping T) 

1/2 t (1t) dried oregano 

1/8 t (1/4t) red pepper flakes 

1/2 t (1t) anchovy paste 

1 (2) T tomato paste 

1 14.5 oz (28 oz) can petite diced tomatoes with liquid 

Parmesan cheese rind, one piece about 5 inches by 2 inches for a full recipe, smaller for half

1 (2) cans (15 ounces each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 

1 3/4 C (3 ½ C) low-sodium chicken broth 

1/2 (1) teaspoon table salt 

4 (8) oz small pasta (ditalini, tubetini, conchigliette, orzo) 

1 C pasta water

1/8 (1/4) C chopped fresh parsley leaves 

1 (2) oz grated Parmesan cheese, about 1/2 (1) C 

Instructions

1. Cook pasta, reserve 1 C pasta water, and refrigerate. 

2. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes. Add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. 

3. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. 

4. Add garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, anchovies (or paste), and tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

5. Add tomatoes, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan. 

6. Add cheese rind and beans; bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer to blend flavors, 10 minutes. 

7. Add chicken broth, pasta water, and 1 teaspoon salt; increase heat to high and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. 

8. Discard cheese rind. Off heat, stir in parsley; adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. 

9. Blanch cooled pasta in cold water and drain. Place pasta in individual bowls and ladle hot soup over the pasta; drizzle each serving with olive oil and sprinkle with a portion of remaining parsley. Serve immediately, passing grated Parmesan separately.