This recipe is delicious. I have reproduced it exactly as I recieved it, but I will make some recommendations at the end. Make this a day ahead. I was somewhat disappointed with it when we ate it the night I fixed it, but by lunch the next day it was SO good! Also, it's got that magic combination of olive oil, garlic, and tomatoes as well as being a good source of fiber.

Serves 8

1 lb. dried navy beans
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
9 cups water
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3/4 cup uncooked medium elbow macaroni (about 4 oz.)
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3/4 cup (3 oz.) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Soak beans overnight or quick-soak.

Heat oil in pan over medium heat until hot. Add onion, carrot, and celery, and sauté 5 minutes or until tender.

Add 2 garlic cloves; cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add beans, 9 cups water, red pepper, and bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Add oregano, thyme, rosemary, and 2 garlic cloves; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until beans are tender. Discard bay leaf.

Place 2 cups bean mixture in a food processor; process until smooth. Return bean puree to pan, and stir well.

Add pasta; cook 7 minutes or until pasta is done. Remove from heat; stir in parsley and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls, and sprinkle with cheese.

Calories 339, (15% from fat); Fat 5.5 g (sat 2.2g); Protein 19.8 g; Carb 54.6 g; Fiber 8.7 g; Chol 7 mg; Iron 5.4 mg; Sodium 626 mg; Calcium 261 mg.

Submitted to Eat-LF list by Elaine.

Tips and Variations: Be sure to soak the beans overnight, even though this recipe says you can quick soak them. I've never been very happy with the results of quick soaking beans, and beans cook slower in a tomato base anyway.

I started this in two pots to reduce cooking time. Just do the bean/water group in one pot and the tomato/veggie group in another and combine them when the tomato/veggie group is at the point where it says "add beans, water," etc. Then subtract the time the beans have been cooking from the 1 hr and 50 minutes.

I used mixed beans for this recipe, as did Elaine, and it was delicious. I also used crushed tomatoes instead of diced, and I pureed only 1 cup of just beans before combining the two pots.

I also doubled the garlic and served it with grated Provelone and fat free Mozzarella instead of Parmesan. And I mean the genuine, aged, New York Provelone, not that wussy stuff you always get here in Wooster.

Other recipes for Pasta E Fagioli call for defatted broth instead of water or for more tomatoes in proportion to the water. I've also seen recipes which call for more pasta, and several which recommended cooking the pasta separately and then adding it to the soup just before serving to keep it from swelling too much. I even found one which had lamb in it.