Easy Pasta Fagioli

My dad is a big soup fan. My dad is also a fan of making soup. Once I realized how easy soup is, I joined the party. This might be one of the best soups I've had in a while--and quick and simple.


Easy Pasta Fagioli (from allrecipes.com)
1 T. olive oil
1 carrot, diced [1]
1 stalk celery, diced [1]
1 thin slice onion, diced
1/2 t. chopped garlic [2]
4 (8oz) cans tomato sauce
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth [3]
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 T. dried parsley
1/2 t. dried basil leaves [4]
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 & 1/2 c. ditalini pasta

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute carrot, celery and onion until soft. Add garlic and saute briefly. Stir in tomato sauce, chicken broth, pepper, parsley and basil; simmer for 20 minutes.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ditalini pasta and cook for 8 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Add beans to the sauce mixture and simmer for a few minutes. When pasta is done, stir into sauce and bean mixture. [5]

Notes:
[1] For the carrot and celery, I used my mandolin slicer, then did a rough chop of the slices (cutting each approx. in half).
[2] I didn't measure my garlic, but instead finely chopped 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic.
[3] Whenever I've had pasta fagioli in the past, it's been a brothy soup; this was much thicker, almost like a stew. I added quite a bit of water to thin out the broth (maybe up to about 2 c. by the time I was done?) Alternatively, you could add more chicken broth, but water is a good way to control the salt being added. (This is also a good way to stretch the recipe when you suddenly have more people to feed than you anticipated!)
[4] I used dried oregano in place of basil.
[5] We like to top ours with grated parmesan cheese and serve with crusty french bread.