Italian Bean And Pasta Soup

Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 225 g dried navy beans, soaked over-night (dried haricot beans)
• 110 g small macaroni noodles
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 -3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tablespoons tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 3/4 liters chicken stock or 1 3/4 liters vegetable stock
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 75 g grated parmesan cheese

Recipe

• 1 in a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and gently fry the onion with the crushed garlic for about 10 minutes.
• 2 add the tomato puree and basil and stir in for another minute.
• 3 drain the beans and add them into the saucepan alongwith the stock and bring the soup up to simmering point and then cover and simmer gently for 1 hour or half hour more till the beans are cooked and tender.
• 4 after the beans have been cooked, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and give it a good stir.
• 5 pour half the soup in a liquidiser and blend it.
• 6 return the pureed half back into the pan with the remaining soup and bring it to simmering point.
• 7 add in the macaroni and simmer for a further 12 minutes, stirring from time to time.
• 8 remove from heat and serve immediately with lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese sprinkled over.