Pasta and Chickpea Soup
Ingredients:
- ⅛ pound prosciutto or ham (optional)
- 1 small red onion - chopped fine
- 1 medium carrot - cut to bite
- 1 celery stalk - chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 ½ tsp rosemary
-
¼ cup olive oil
- 1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes (plum)
- 2 15 oz cans chick-peas/drained (optional)
- 4 cups chicken broth (low - sodium)
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 4 inch square (estimated) parmigiano - reggiano rind
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup small pasta tubes/shells or whatever you like to put into soup
Directions:
Chop and combine the first 6 ingredients. Set a 3 qt pot over medium heat and add olive oil; let olive oil warm up and add chopped ingredients. Let them cook until softened, about 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and juice into the pot with the vegetables and add chick-peas, tomato paste, bay leaf and cheese rind. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cooked pasta to the soup right before serving to or cook it in the soup. If you cook it in the soup, you may need to add more broth and raise the heat. Serve with great bread and grated cheese.
*recipe adapted from The Seasons of Parmigiano-Reggiano cookbook
