Pasta Fagioli

Last night I made a vegetarian/vegan Pasta Fagioli. I had been traveling for a couple of weeks and was so happy to get back in the kitchen to make a real meal. As usual, I made a very large pot of soup so my boyfriend and I would have leftovers for the week. I used whole wheat elbow pasta to make it healthier with a good dose of fiber. Soups are perfect for using whole wheat or whole grain pastas because the noodles get super soft and you are less likely to notice that you didn’t use regular white pasta. Why not go healthy when you can “sneak” it in there? Try it out and see what you think.

Pasta Fagioli (Vegan)

(makes about 10 servings)

2 cups whole wheat elbow pasta

1 cup almond milk (or coconut milk)

1 large can crushed tomatoes (28 0z.)

2 quarts vegetable stock (low sodium)

1 can red kidney beans

1 can white cannellini beans

1 large yellow onion

4 stalks celery

4 carrots

4 cloves garlic

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 cups water (optional)

2 tbsp. nutritional yeast (optional)

Chop up the celery, carrot, onion, and garlic and put them in a big soup pot with the extra virgin olive oil, rosemary, and thyme (leave the herbs on the stalks). Turn heat up to medium high and saute for about 10 minutes until the veggies are soft, stirring frequently. Pour in the can of tomatoes, almond milk, kidney beans, cannellini beans, vegetable stock, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir well and bring it up to a boil on high heat. Once the soup is boiling, add in the pasta, stir, and cook for about 6-7 minutes. Turn off the heat and add in a few cups of water to thin it out and create more servings. Stir in nutritional yeast for some “cheesy” flavor. Add additional salt or pepper if necessary.

Tip: If you like a really thick pasta fagioli, you can try adding a can of tomato paste or other pureed vegetables to thicken up the liquid part of the soup. Another option is to add more almond or coconut milk and/or yogurt with each serving.