MMMM Good!

This soup was amazing and I loved it so much! It's definitely going in the recipe book and I will make it again. I found this Giada recipe on Sugar and Spice's blog which I recently discovered. It was pretty easy and made of items that most people have in their house regularly, well at least I do! :)

Pasta e Fagioli
(From: Family Dinners by Giada De Laurentiis, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2006)

4 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp of dried
1 large rosemary sprig
1 bay leaf
1 tbls of olive oil
1 rbls of unsalted butter
1 cup of onion
3 oz. of pancetta or bacon, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 3/4 cups of reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 (14.5 oz) cans or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup of elbow macaroni
ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese

Wrap thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and tie it with kitchen twine. (I did not do this, see later in recipe where to add). Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium. Add onion, pancetta, and garlic. Saute until onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add broth, beans, and sachet of herbs. (I just added the spices directly into the soup). Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Then decrease heat to medium and simmer till vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. If you used the sachet of herbs, discard at this point.

In a blender, puree 1 cup of bean mixture until smooth, then return the puree to the saucepan. Cover and return soup to boil over high heat. Add the macaroni, cover and boil. Stir occasionally, until the macaroni is tender, about 8 minutes. Season soup with pepper to taste. Serve and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.