It’s getting cold out and fall is in full swing so it’s soup season!!
My friend Julia makes soup every week when the weather gets cool and I’m super jealous of that consistency and the idea if having a ready to eat soup for the rest of the week for lunch or dinner. The problem I’m facing is that, while I love soup, Caleb is not a huge super person so I end up eating a batch almost by myself all week and boy, does it last. I swear soup is one of those things that you eat and eat and eat and it doesn’t look like you’ve even made a dent. It’s a small hurdle I’ll have to face this soup season, so maybe not soup every week but I’m going to try to make it more of a part of my meal planning schedule.
First up this year is pasta e fagioli from Carla Lalli Music. I first found the recipe on Bon Appetit’s youtube channel (remember when that was a thing?) and decided to give it a shot last year. It’s been great to make a few times and learn from the process and I feel like it just gets better and better.
I know Carla is huge about soaking beans and there’s a whole thing with it but honestly, I just bought a can of white cannellini beans and went with it. Sorry, Carla. I followed Carla’s process otherwise and pulsed carrots, leeks, and garlic in a food processor and reduced it in a dutch over with hot olive oil. I did find that it took me longer to do than the estimated times in the website but that’s okay. I did get a little nervous about it and rushed the process to fit what the recipe said but I should’ve taken the time to make sure it was right because the end result this time was a chunkier soup that we like but the flavor was all there so it’s a minor adjustment. Gotta follow my gut a little better in the kitchen. It can all still feel intimidating.
I did find a ham hock, to my surprise, at the grocery store, and that worked out well with the beans, kale (chopped finely) tomatoes, and a parmesan rind I saved just for this soup. I let it simmer, waited for the ham hock to get tender enough to pull off the bone and shred, then I cooked pasta on the side and served them together. Since I eat this over the week, I’ve figured out keeping the pasta separate until it’s ready to get eaten or a serving is packed up for lunch is the best way to avoid mushy noodles. There may be a slight miss in the melding of flavors by keeping the pasta separate but this is a choice I’m happy to make.
I actually really love the flavor of this soup and it feels really nostalgic and reminds me of something but I can’t quite put my finger on it. I’m not sure this is going to be in constant rotation because Caleb isn’t totally in love and it’s definitly hard to eat a full pot of soup by myself but it’s in the recipe box for sure, maybe its more of a once a season kind of soup.