Italian Pasta Bean Stew

Ingredients

• 1 can white beans (415 g net weight)
• 150 g small onions (3 small onions)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 100 g smoked whole turkey bacon (sliced)
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 800 ml classic vegetable broth
• 200 g small carrots (3 small carrots)
• 2 sprigs sage
• Salt
• Pepper
• 30 g Parmesan cheese
• 225 g whole wheat pasta

Instructions

1. 1.

   Place beans in a sieve, rinse cold and drain. Peel onions and garlic and dice finely.

2. 2.

   Dice bacon finely. Heat olive oil in a pot, add bacon and onions, sauté over medium heat until translucent while stirring.

3. 3.

   Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute, stirring, then pour in broth and bring to a boil.

4. 4.

   Wash, peel, and cut carrots into 1 cm cubes. Add to the boiling broth and simmer at medium heat for 20 minutes.

5. 5.

   Wash sage, shake dry, pluck leaves and finely chop, add to soup with beans and cook for another 5 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper. Grate parmesan cheese finely.

6. 6.

   Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions in plenty of salted boiling water, drain in a sieve and add to the soup just before serving. Serve topped with freshly grated parmesan. For a creamier texture, puree about half the soup before adding the pasta and return the purée to the pot.