Summer is quickly approaching and if you are like me, I don’t like to eat heavy meals on those hot summer days. I love refreshing foods like salads loaded with protein & veggies and barbeque meats and seafood on the grill.  Also, I do love my soups. YUP. I eat soups even on hot summer days!!! I just try to eat it indoors with the A/C on instead of outdoors.  HaHa!

This soup has a lot of nutrition with the protein and fiber in the beans including the nutrients in the veggies being added.  It is also very flavourful with all these wonderful ingredients coming together with the pasta and the beans.  It is truly yummy!

This famous “Italian dish” can be made a couple of different ways both very tasty dishes: as a soup which is my recipe and also as a thicker type of soup with less liquid and more tomato sauce.  Another way to thicken it up, if you do want that thicker consistency is to add a couple of potatoes into the pot and mash them when they are fork tender, and placing it back into the pot.

You can also add more greens to this soup (like spinach, kale, swiss chard).  Now you see how this one pot dish can be so nutritious and healthy!

NOW FOR THE RECIPE:

 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. avocado oil

1/2 cup diced pancetta (Italian bacon), optional

1 small red onion (chopped)

2 celery stalks (chopped)

2 carrots (chopped)

1 fennel bulb (diced) also use the green fonds to add to the soup

1 small can of diced tomatoes or 1/4 cup of cooked tomato sauce (optional to add more to your taste)

750 ml  organic chicken stock

cold water (at least 1 litre)

1 tbsp. sea salt

1 tsp. black pepper

grated ginger (1 inch small chunk)

2 small cans either white navy beans, cannellini beans or pinto beans, rinsed & drained (preferably organic)

2 cups of Ditalini pasta or mini pasta shells

1/2 cup parsley (chopped)

Fresh oregano (chopped) or 1 tbsp. dried oregano

 

Directions:

Heat up oil in a medium saucepan

Add the onion, chopped celery, carrots and fennel.  Cook until they sweat, about 5 to 10 min. on low heat.

Add the tomatoes, stock and water, herbs and spices.  Once it comes to a boil, you can add your rinsed beans.

Cook on low to medium heat for about 30 minutes.

In a medium size pot, cook the pasta according to pasta directions (al dente), stirring often, (do not overcook), drain and add to the pot of beans.  Stir well!

Serve Hot with Crunchy bread and Enjoy!

Optional: Top with grated parmesan cheese

*Serves 4 People*

*TO KEEP THIS DISH VEGETARIAN, OMIT THE PANCETTA & REPLACE CHICKEN STOCK WITH VEGETABLE STOCK*