Tips to get you started:

· If you decide to use bacon or pancetta, brown this off in the pan (5-7 minutes or so) in the EVOO before adding the onions, carrot, bell pepper and celery.

· Any small pasta like orzo, elbows, mini- farfalle will work for this recipe, even cooked grains like rice or farro!

· Butter beans, garbanzo beans, or even kidney beans work well for this soup, go with what you have on hand.

· Vegetable stock can be used in place of the bone broth for a vegetarian version, you’ll need to adjust the amount of salt added, to taste.

Prep time: 20-30 minutes

Cook time: 30-60 minutes

Serves: 8 – 8oz portions

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1 Cup carrots, small diced

1 Large yellow onion, small diced

1 Cup celery, small diced

½ Cup bell pepper (any color), diced

4 Garlic cloves, minced

6 oz Tomato paste

2 Quarts unsalted chicken bone broth

28 oz Diced tomatoes with juices

1 Teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 Teaspoon dried rosemary leaves

1 Tablespoon dried basil

½ Teaspoon dried sage, rubbed

8 Oz. butter beans, drained and rinsed

6 Oz. dry ditalini pasta, cooked

5 Oz. fresh baby spinach rough chopped

1 ½ Teaspoons coarse Kosher salt

½ Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Optional:

4 Oz. diced pancetta or thick uncured bacon

2 Teaspoons granulated sugar

¼-1/2 Teaspoon truffle zest

Grated Parmesan cheese

Part one: In a large stock pot over medium high heat, heat the EVOO until it begins to shimmer in the pan. Add the onions, celery, carrots and bell pepper and cook them down for about 5-8 minutes until the onion becomes translucent, and the carrots begin to soften.

Part two: Add garlic to the pan and cook until it becomes fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Then add the tomato paste, stirring to combine all the ingredients and allow this to cook for 2-3 minutes to deepen the flavor of the tomato paste.

Part three: Add the tomatoes and broth to the pot and stir to combine. Add the rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano and basil (and truffle zest if using) to the pot and cook on medium to medium high heat for at least 20 minutes for all the flavors to meld. While this is cooking, cook your ditalini pasta per package directions, to al dente stage.

Part four: Drain and rinse your beans. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste, consider starting with my recommended amounts and adding from there (if using the optional sugar, add this to taste now as well). Add pasta and beans to soup and stir to combine. Remove from heat. Stir in the chopped spinach. Serve immediately, topped with Parmesan cheese.

Serving suggestion: Enjoy with a slice of crusty bread.

Tiny chefs at home? They can help:

· Measure ingredients

· Peel the carrots (with supervision)

· Grate the Parmesan (with supervision)

Nutrition information: *Calculated without including the optional ingredients

Total Calories: 263 // Total Fat: 7 g // Cholesterol: 10 mg // Sodium: 751 mg // Total Carbohydrates: 35 g // Dietary Fiber: 7 g // Sugars: 9 g // Protein: 30 g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.