Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 taspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 reaspoon oregano

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 onion, finely diced

1 (28-ounce) can peeled Italian tomatoes

1 bay leaf

1 pound dried beans, preferavly pinto, soaked in water overnight of for a minimum of 12 hours

6 1/2 cups Chicken Stock

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Chicken Stock

Bean Soup

Minestra De Fasoi

Serves 4 to 6

Printable Version

Pour the oil into a large stockpot. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, rosemary, onion, carrot and celery and cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to sizzle. Lower the heat to simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Drain the tomatoes, reserving the juice separately. Break up the tomatoes with your hands. Add the tomatoes and bay leaf to the stockpot. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the tomatoes are almost dry. Add the beans stirring to mix well and cook 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and reserved tomato juice, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover, with the lid slightly ajar. Simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes. After 1 1/2 hours, transfer 4 cups of the soup to a blender and process until smooth. Stir it back into the rest of the soup and simmer 30 minutes more.

Cook's Tip:

Bean types all differ slightly in terms of their cooking time. This means that you should taste them for tenderness after 1 hour of cooking, retesting every 15 minutes.