Awesome Macaroni & Red Bean Soup

This is the Italian American pantry soup known across most kitchens as pasta e fagioli. Pasta and beans cooked into the same pot until the broth thickens with bean starch and the elbow macaroni plumps up in the tomato-rich liquid. Naturally vegan if you stick to vegetable stock, and built almost entirely from pantry staples.

The technique to focus on is the mirepoix. Onion, carrot, and celery sauteed in olive oil with garlic and parsley build the savory foundation. Cook these until they’re soft and just starting to brown around the edges. That browning is what gives the soup the depth that turns it from canned-bean simple to something memorable.

Using the bean cooking liquid is the smart-cook move. After cooking the kidney beans until tender, save two cups of their cooking water and use it as part of the soup base. That starchy liquid thickens the broth naturally and adds bean flavor that water alone can’t provide.

The pasta cooks directly in the soup, which is critical for proper pasta e fagioli. It absorbs the tomato-and-bean flavor while it cooks and releases its own starch, making the broth silky.

Pro Tips

• Don’t overcook the pasta. Five to seven minutes of active boil followed by a few minutes of resting under a lid is enough. Overcooked pasta turns to mush in the leftovers.
• If you’re making this ahead, undercook the macaroni by a minute. It will continue absorbing liquid as it sits.
• Canned kidney beans work in a pinch. Use one 15-ounce can with its liquid, plus extra water or stock to make up the volume.
• A drizzle of good olive oil and a shower of grated parmesan right at the table is the classic Italian finish (skip the parmesan for strictly vegan).

Variations

• Add a Parmesan rind to the simmering soup for deep umami flavor (vegetarian, not vegan).
• Stir in a handful of chopped spinach or kale at the end for extra greens.
• Use ditalini or small shells in place of elbow macaroni for a more traditional shape.