Italian Tomato Pasta Soup

Description:

The most versatile and probably oldest dish in the world is soup. In fact, the very first restaurants in the world were purveyors of soup. The word "restaurant" is a derivative of the French word for "restore" and was initially used to describe a highly concentrated, inexpensive soup, sold by street vendors in the 16th century. In 1765, a Parisian entrepreneur opened a shop specializing in such soups. This prompted the use of the modern word, "restaurant", to describe shops that sold and served food.

This recipe is true to the tradition of soup that reuses (or restores) leftover marinara sauce. When I make marinara sauce, I typically make a large batch and use the remaining sauce for pizza or a dipping sauce. I use the balance of the marinara sauce to make this richly flavored soup.

Ingredients:

3 cups marinara sauce (see recipe)
1 yellow (sweet) onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1 lb cannellini beans (Italian kidney beans, can substitute white kidney beans).
1 cup small pasta cooked al dente
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

Put the beans in a large pot and fill with water until the beans are covered with at least 2 inches of water. Bring the beans to a boil over medium heat.

Turn the heat off and let the pot sit until the water cools down. Strain the beans from the soaking water.

In a large pot on high heat, add oil and brown onion for 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and carrots and cook until softened (about 5 minutes).

Add marinara sauce and chicken broth. When soup begins to boil, reduce heat to low and add the beans.

Season with crushed red pepper and salt.

Cook covered for 45 minutes (until beans are soft).

Add pasta and cook for 5-10 minutes until pasta is cooked though and serve.