Hearty winter soup is this Pasta Fagioli Soup with Ham and Escarole. This is a whole-meal soup that draws its hearty peasant flavor from beans, onions, garlic, celery, carrots, ham, tiny pasta, and escarole. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is a delicious addition over the soup.
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| February 4th is National Homemade Soup Day!
I had to post one of my favorite soups, Pasta Fagioli Soup ( Pasta Bean Soup). Some recipes for Pasta Fagioli simply include pasta and beans as the ingredients with garlic, but I like to add ham and Escarole to my Pasta Fagioli soup. Seriously, I like to add lots of veggies to my soups, the more the merrier, I feel better knowing that my kids are getting at least one serving of veggies, as teenagers, they are choosing to load up on carbs, so I try to have protein and veggies for our dinner meal choice. One of my favorite hearty winter soups is this Pasta Fagioli Soup with Ham and Escarole. This is a whole -meal soup that draws its hearty peasant flavor from beans, onions, garlic, celery, carrots, ham, tiny pasta, and escarole. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is a delicious addition over the soup. Being Italian, I like to make an assortment of Italian dishes, my favorite past time is reading cookbooks filled with authentic Italian recipes. I fell in love with this soup when I visited abroad in Lecce one summer. I was traveling with a friend and we were on a super budget, probably $5 a day. Her mother was a massage therapist and traveled all over the world. My friend and I spent time in Rome and then we were going to Lecce to meet her mother. She had told us that her friends were going on holiday and we could stay in their home. After traveling by boat then train, then hitching to Lecce, I felt like I was getting really run down, I started burning up with a fever, then I started shivering, I just wanted to lie down. We arrived at our new best friends home with open arms and brought to a huge guest room overlooking a vineyard, the sun was just starting to set, the golden orange glow lulled me into the king-size bed draping with white down blankets and pillows. Our friends gave me a whole garlic head and told me to eat it, RAW. Worn down, I agreed, plus some other concoction that tasted like fuel oil, not that I have ever ingested fuel oil… I laid my head down and didn’t get up for 24 hours. After awakening, I dragged my body outside to feel the sunshine on my face. I was brought an espresso and a bowl of the most amazing tasting soup, lovingly prepared by angels. One taste of the soup, I knew that all was right in my world. Even though I smelled like Italian sausage, I could force a smile on my face and the word, ” Gracie ” dripped out from my lips. When I prepare Pasta Fagioli Soup, I am brought back to a remarkable summer spent in Europe. Eat every meal like it is your first! Abundanza! A Familia! Buon Appetito!! To your health and good appetite! Please remember to SHARE on FACEBOOKWe like to serve Pasta Fagioli Soup with these honey cornbread muffins or my sweet corn spoonbread. These magic bars make a great dessert. |
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Check out my YOUTUBE video for easy to follow instructions. Follow me on YOUTUBE. |
| In a 6 quart pan, combine dried beans and about 2 inches covering the water, bring to a boil. Continue boiling for 2 minutes, then remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour ( or if you prefer cover beans with the water and let stand overnight.) |
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| Mince 3-4 cloves of garlic and saute in 1 tablespoon Olive Oil until soft and golden brown. |
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| Add one chopped onion to the garlic. Saute until soft and translucent. |
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| Hello beautiful garlic and onions, you know you are the star of the show. |
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| Add chopped celery and carrots, saute for a couple of minutes. |
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| These are my basic ingredients for most soups that I make, they give such a great flavor for so many soup bases. |
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| Place a ham bone in the pot with the beans. Cover with 8 cups of water. |
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| Add garlic, onion, carrots and veggie mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, covered, until beans are tender (2 to 21/2 hours). Lift out the ham and discard bone; coarsely chop ham. Return ham to the soup pot. |
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| Saute 1 head of chopped Escarole, add to soup pot. |
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| Cook 1 pound Orzo in salted boiling water until pasta is al dente ( perfectly cooked but not overly soft, translated means, ” to the tooth”), add to the soup pot. Add one carton of chicken broth. Turn the heat up to warm the soup. |
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Nettie Moore is the cook, baker, photographer, and designer behind Moore or Less Cooking Food Blog. Nettie is a self- trained cook and baker. She loves creating easy recipes that don’t call for a lot of unknown ingredients. Nettie’s Blueberry Skillet Cake has been featured in Taste Of Home Magazine and her Peach Raspberry Pie has won awards!
She was born and raised in Southern California and now calls New England her home, where she lives with her husband and two children. Follow Nettie on her blog, Moore or Less Cooking, or here: FACEBOOK | TWITTER| PINTEREST | BLOGLOVIN |INSTAGRAM
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Pasta and Bean Soup ( Pasta E Fagioli) with Ham and Escarole
Hearty winter soup is this Pasta Fagioli Soup with Ham and Escarole. This is a whole-meal soup that draws its hearty peasant flavor from beans, onions, garlic, celery, carrots, ham, tiny pasta, and escarole. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is a delicious addition over the soup.
Ingredients
- 1 bag dried white beans
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 3 Carrots, chopped
- 3 stalks of Celery, chopped
- Hambone
- 1 bunch Escarole
- 1 pound Orzo
- 1 carton Chicken Broth 32 ounces
- water
Instructions
- In a 6 quart pan, combine dried beans and about 2 inches covering the water, bring to a boil. Continue boiling for 2 minutes, then remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour ( or if you prefer cover beans with the water and let stand overnight.)
- Mince 3-4 cloves of garlic and saute in 1 tablespoon Olive Oil until soft and golden brown.
- Add one chopped onion to the garlic. Saute until soft and translucent.
- Add chopped celery and carrots, saute for a couple of minutes.
- Place a ham bone in the pot with the beans. Cover with 8 cups of water.
- Add garlic, onion, carrots and veggie mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, covered, until beans are tender (2 to 2 1/2 hours). Lift out the ham and discard bone; coarsely chop ham. Return ham to the soup pot.
- Saute 1 head of chopped Escarole, add to the soup pot.
- Cook 1 pound Orzo in salted boiling water until pasta is al dente ( perfectly cooked but not overly soft, translated means, ” to the tooth”), add to the soup pot.
- Add one carton of chicken broth. Turn the heat up to warm the soup.
Notes
Add freshly grated Parmesan to taste.
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Moore or Less Cooking
Thursday 15th of March 2012
Thank you @melissa!It is one of my favorites, thanks for stopping by! Nettie
Melissa Placzek
Monday 12th of March 2012
What a fabulous looking soup! YUM!~Melissa
Moore or Less Cooking
Saturday 18th of February 2012
@kim @ little rays of sunshine,Thank you for following along, you will love this recipe, it is a hit! Nettie
Moore or Less Cooking
Saturday 18th of February 2012
@ Itin, yes white beans- fagioli, not lentils.Nettie
Kim @ Little Rays of Sunshine
Saturday 18th of February 2012
Thanks for stopping by my blog today! I'll definitely be following along and continuing to check out your fabulous recipes. This soup, for one, looks like a real winner! We'll have to have this for dinner one night soon. :)Have a great weekend!