Everyone loves a good recipe! Here is a great one from our very own James Silver, Director of Culinary Experience. As an Italian, I am all about this recipe. It has warmth and comfort that we need in the winter. Here is this weeks recipe!
Pasta Fagioli Soup
- Turkey sausage: Sausage isn’t a traditional ingredient in pasta fagioli, but it gives it great flavor! Turkey sausage is leaner than pork sausage, but you can choose sweet Italian sausage instead if you’d like a richer taste. Pancetta (cured pork belly) is another great choice.
- Onion: Yellow or white onions work here. Hate the tears? When it comes to cutting an onion without crying, the only foolproof technique is to wear goggles.
- Canola oil: The neutral oil imparts little flavor, but it’s good to cook with. If you don’t have any on hand, use your favorite olive oil brand instead.
- Garlic: Garlic gives pasta fagioli soup its rich flavor. If you’re not into mincing, use a garlic press to smooth the cloves into a paste instead.
- Great northern beans:Â These small white beans have a nice creamy texture and are excellent for soups. Cannellini or navy beans also work well in this recipe.
- Diced tomatoes: If you’re into chunky soup, diced tomatoes will give you something to sink your teeth into. Use tomato puree if you’d prefer a smoother texture.
- Chicken broth: For this soup, you can use store-bought broth or make homemade chicken broth if you have time.
- Elbow macaroni: I like to use Whole wheat macaroni, which tend to be high-quality. Fagioli soup typically features ditalini, but they can be harder to find than elbows. Elbow macaroni work just fine!
- Pepper: A bit of freshly ground pepper brings a hint of heat. I like to use Tellicherry peppercorns from India’s Malabar coast.
- Spinach: With only a cup of fresh spinach in five servings of soup, the ingredient is there more for its color than for its nutritional value. Feel free to add more, if you’d like.
- Parmesan cheese: It’s nice to use a high-quality cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano for Italian dishes. It melts better and has more flavor than generic Parmesan.
Step 1: Cook the sausage
In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the sausage until it’s no longer pink. Drain the meat, remove it from the pan, and set it aside.
In the same pan, saute the onion in canola oil until it’s tender. Add the garlic and saute the aromatics for one minute longer.
Step 2: Make the soup
Add the water, canned beans, tomatoes, broth, macaroni and pepper, and bring them to a boil. Cook the soup, uncovered, until the macaroni is tender, eight to ten minutes.
Editor’s Tip: Use additional chicken broth instead of water for even more flavor. If you think you’ll have leftovers and don’t want the pasta to absorb all the soup broth as it sits in the fridge, you may want to consider cooking the macaroni separately in a pot of boiling, salted water (though this will make for a thinner soup). When done, drain the pasta, add a scoop of pasta to each serving of soup, and store the noodles in a separate container
Step 3: Add the garnishes
Reduce the heat to low and stir in the sausage and spinach.
Cook the soup until the spinach wilts, two to three minutes. Garnish the soup with cheese.
Tip: This recipe calls for low-sodium broth and does not include added salt. To enhance the flavor, taste a sip of the soup before serving and add salt and something acidic, such as lemon juice or white wine vinegar, until the flavor sings.
