The Dish
Pasta e fagioli, meaning "pasta and beans", refers to the two main ingredients in this semi-traditional Italian dish. This vegetarian stew is loaded with all sorts of delicious ingredients: carrots, celery, onion, garlic, tomatoes, broth, kale, peas, and a homemade pesto sauce. The kale and spinach pesto sauce is made using fresh, leafy kale, baby spinach, basil, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan cheese for a very tasty modification on the classic. A little salt and lemon juice are added to the pesto to balance out the earthiness of the greens and enhance the garlic and parmesan flavors.
Hacking this Recipe
The soup can be made a few days in advance, refrigerated, and reheated when ready to enjoy. If prepping all of those veggies sounds like too much of a chore, see if your local grocery store provides pre-chopped soup vegetables (carrots, celery, and onions, especially). We like waiting to add the cooked noodles till the very end of the cooking or reheating process, this way the pasta will not overcook or get mushy. The pesto sauce can be prepared many days in advance and stored refrigerated for 4-5 days. This recipe makes a little over ½ cup or 4-8 servings, depending on the recipe or dish.
Vegan Modifications
Feel free to swap the traditional parmesan cheese in this recipe (and the pesto recipe) for your favorite vegan alternative. The recipe calls for chicken or vegetable broth — either options makes for very tasty soup.