Recipe: Slow & Smooth Cannellini Soup

This yummy, hearty Italian soup is great for a cool fall evening - and it's easy to make in the crockpot as well. Just cook on low for 8 hours and have a lovely dinner ready at the end of the day.

Slow & Smooth Cannellini Soup

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

8 ounces dried cannellini beans
6 sage leaves
2 garlic cloves
dash kosher salt
olive oil
3 carrots, diced small
2 celery stalks, diced small
1 dried chili pepper, diced (seeds removed)
4 large tomatoes, chopped small
5 ounces ditalini (or other small) pasta
Olive oil or Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

Directions:

• Put the beans in a large glass bowl and cover with lots of water. Let soak overnight. Drain the water that the beans soaked in overnight, put the beans in a large (8 quart) soup pot, fill with fresh water and the sage leaves and garlic cloves.
• Cook the beans for 2 hours or until they are tender, over low heat. When beans are almost tender, add the kosher salt. 
• Meanwhile, put a skillet over low heat, add olive oil, carrots, celery, and chili pepper, and cook until veggies are tender, stirring often.
• When beans are cooked and tender, ladle out most of the cooked beans (working in sections) into your food processor and puree, removing to a bowl and continuing until most of the beans are pureed. 
• Pour the pureed beans back into the soup pot, add the vegetables from the skillet to the pot, add the tomatoes, and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring often, maintaining a gentle bubble.
• Add the pasta to the pot, and continue simmering until the pasta is al dente, then serve in deep bowls with a drizzle of good olive oil, and/or a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.