Step 1

NOTE: I use dry beans and soak them overnight. Using dry beans also increases cook time to about 3 hours. If you forgot to soak the beans, it’s not a big deal, just cook the soup for another hour or so and use a little extra stock. (If you opt for canned beans, cook time will be about an hour.)

Step 2

The night before preparing the soup (or about 6-8 hours before), rinse the beans and place them in a bowl or a food storage container.

Step 3

Fill enough water to cover the beans with 2 inches of water. Mix in salt and let the beans soak overnight. When ready to use, drain the beans before using them in the soup.

Step 4

Preheat a Dutch oven or a large soup pot over medium-low heat and add olive oil. Add diced vegetables and let is sweat until softened. Make sure to stir often.

Step 5

Raise the heat to medium and once vegetables start to get a little brown, add pressed garlic. Saute until garlic is fragrant.

Step 6

Add the entire content of the can of tomatoes, add drained beans, pour in stock, and add Parmesan rind, spices, and herbs.

Step 7

Bring everything to simmer over medium-high heat, turn the heat down to low, and cover with a lid, leaving a small opening for the steam to escape.

Step 8

Cook for about 3 hours, stirring once in a while.

Step 9

Discard the bay leaves and the Parmesan rind before serving.

Step 10

When the soup is almost done, cook pasta according to the package instructions in a separate pot.

Step 11

Add pasta to individual bowls if you know there will be soup leftover. Store pasta and soup separately. (If you’re planning on serving the whole pot of soup at the same time, you can cook pasta right in the soup.)