Pasta e fagioli
Dad was down for the count, so Bella stepped up and made pasta e fagioli to nurse him back to health.
Makes
6
Level
Medium with a grown-up
Kids cook with a grown-up. Hot ovens, boiling water and frying are grown-up jobs, and sharp knives need a grown-up’s hands too.
Bella’s job
Bella stirs the pot, adds the small pasta and tastes the soup.
Ingredients
Olive oil: 3 tablespoons
Onion: 1 medium, diced
Carrots: 2, diced
Celery: 2 stalks, diced
Yellow potato: 1 small, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch cubes
Garlic: 3 cloves, minced
Crushed tomatoes: one 28 oz can
Chicken or vegetable broth: 5 cups
Red kidney beans: two 15 oz cans, drained and rinsed
Ditalini or other small pasta: 1 cup, dry
Fresh parsley: 1/4 cup chopped
Salt: 1 1/2 teaspoons, to taste
Black pepper: 1/2 teaspoon
Crusty bread: for serving
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook 8 minutes, until soft.
Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes and broth. Add the potato, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
Cover partly and simmer 20 minutes so the flavors come together.
Add the beans and parsley and simmer 10 minutes more.
Turn the heat up so the soup bubbles. Bella pours in the pasta.
Stir often so the pasta does not stick to the bottom. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, until the pasta is tender.
Add a splash of water or broth if the soup gets too thick, since the pasta keeps drinking liquid.
Ladle into bowls. Let it cool a few minutes and serve with crusty bread. A grown-up handles the hot pot.
