Recipe: Tomato Soup with White Beans and Pasta

A quick and hearty tomato soup that is perfect for chilly weather.

Yesterday, it was three degrees.  Today it topped out at 41.  The day started with big fluffy snowflakes dropping fast and furious from the sky, and ended with little accumulation and clear roadways.  Welcome to New Jersey. Much like Kansas’ little ditty … “Don’t like the weather?  Wait a minute, it will change.” Forecast for the rest of the week?  More snow, and how much is anybody’s guess.

Nothing like a cold, windy Winter to make me want a big bowl of steaming hot soup.  With just a few ingredients and fifteen minutes of your time, this bowl of Tomato Soup with White Beans and Pasta can be warming up your cold, empty bellies in nothing flat.  Nick liked it, except for the beans, and Madeline couldn’t be bothered.  With eight grams of fat and 255 calories, the leftovers have made a quick and easy lunch for a few days for me and a grab-and-go dinner before jetting off to the gym.

Soup’s on!

Project 365
January 25, 2011, Photo #25
Polka dots make me happy, and this Ann Taylor shirt I found at an outlet recently is no exception.  And the $17 price tag (40% off sale) made me even happier.

Tomato Soup with White Beans and Pasta
Recipe courtesy of All You magazine, January 21, 2011 issue

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes
28 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup tubetini, elbow macaroni or other small pasta
1 15-oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Warm oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add oregano, stir once, then add tomatoes with juice and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.

2. Add pasta, stir, and cook until just tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in beans, lower heat and simmer until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in parsley and serve, drizzling each portion with additional olive oil if desired.