Angela St. John's White Bean, Pasta, and Swiss Chard Soup

From Eliafamily

Ingredients

• 1 c. dried Great Northern beans or cannellini beans
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 yellow onions
• 2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 small bunch red Swiss chard, thick stems removed and leaves cut into thin julienne strips
• 6 c. chicken broth
• 1 c. chopped, canned tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 Tbsp. fresh basil, finely chopped
• 3/4 c. fine egg noodles or broken capellini, cooked and drained
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• 4 Tbsp. finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 6 Tbsp. grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese

Directions

Pick over beans and discard any misshapen beans or stones. Rinse well and drain. Put beans in a bowl; add cold water to cover generously. Soak for 4 hours or overnight; drain beans.

In a large pot over medium heat, warm oil. Add onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and saute for 3 minutes. Add half of the Swiss chard and saute till wilted, about 3 minutes. Add broth, beans, tomatoes, basil, and garlic; simmer, partially covered, until beans are tender (1 hour or longer). Remove from heat.

In a blender, puree soup in batches, leaving some texture and return soup to pot. (I only puree about half.) Set over medium-high heat and add pasta and remaining chard. Cook until chard is wilted, but still retains some color, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add 2 tablespoons parsley. Ladle soup and garnish with parsley and cheese.

You can use spinach in place of Swiss chard.

Attribution

Submitted by: Angela St. John for the 2004 Elia Family Recipe Book.