Macaroni & Bean Soup

I warned you that things would get repetitive around here. And here we go again, another comforting, tomato-cheese-pasta dish that I would happily eat every day.

Before I go on, I just want to put in a disclaimer (law school is teaching me something, perhaps?): this is not your classic pasta e fagioli and I will not purport to have recreate a classic of Italian home cooking. This, my friends, is the closest version I’ve found to my all time favorite kind of Progresso soup that my parents have kept (and still keep) stocked in the pantry ever since forever: Macaroni & Bean.

My siblings were Chickarina fans, but me? I was always and only about the Macaroni & Bean. It was a love I shared with my best friend when we were 7 or 8. It, along with goldfish, tuna sandwiches, ice cream and cookies out of her mother’s cookie jar, was just about all we knew how to feed ourselves. I even had a preferred method of consumption: first I would eat the celery and beans, saving the pasta for last when I would slurp it all up, swallowing it whole. Back then, I could split a can. Nowadays, I wouldn’t be so generous.

I even once shared a romantic, candlelit meal on the floor of my 15 sq ft dorm room (we used a suitcase as a table) consisting entirely of Progresso Macaroni & Bean Soup. The romance didn’t last but my love for the soup is stronger than ever.

Rest assured, I would have never gone to the trouble of making my own Macaroni & Bean soup when I already know the original is as good as it gets. But, as with so, so many things, there is no Progresso soup in Australia. I contemplated asking my mom to send me a can or two, but couldn’t bring myself to be so childish and selfish. The shipping alone would cost as much as 10 cans of soup, and who knows? One of the Australian customs officials may have once tried Progresso soup on a brief trip to civilization, and would greedily quarantine my deliciousness all for himself. Besides, it would take at least 8 or 9 days for a package of soup to arrive. And I couldn’t wait that long.

After some interneting revealed nothing (besides the fact that you can buy an entire case of Macaroni & Bean soup, which, if I were you, and you’re in the States, I would have done yesterday and also revealed the ingredients in the original), I started looking for recipes and settled on the one that looked closest to the real thing.

MACARONI & BEAN SOUP

This is as close as I think you can get to the wonder of Progresso’s Macaroni & Bean soup without the can. I kind of based the recipe on this recipe from Recipe D’Eva, but adjusted it to reach optimal Progressoness. A lovely feature of the Progresso version is the chunks of mushy celery; I didn’t have any celery and none of my neighborhood shops did either so we did without. Also, Progresso uses Great Northern beans but – sigh – I couldn’t find any in this cultural wasteland known as Australia. Feel free to use cannellini if you’ve already got them. Also! Read my nota bene at the end of the recipe if you’re planning to make this ahead of time.

Serves 3 (Francesco, me and the tapeworm)

2 stalks of celery, chopped roughly

1/2 carrot, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups passata (tomato puree)

2 – 3 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth

1 sprig rosemary

4 basil leaves, ripped

1/2 – 1 cup milk (or more)

1 cup (250) small pasta (about one small handful per person…ditali or macaroni would be perfect)

1 can (15 ounces/2 scant cups) Great Northern beans (or cannellini)

1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano or pecorino romano cheese

In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute celery, onion and garlic in a good splash of olive oil over medium heat until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in broth, tomato sauce, about 1/4 of the grated cheese, and the rosemary and basil. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer  for 15 to 20 minutes. Add about 1/2 – 1 cup of milk. It’s okay if the broth looks too watery, it will thicken considerably once the pasta is added.

There are two ways to finish this off: the lazy way, which means you cook the pasta straight in the soup and requires you adding significantly more liquid OR the right way, which means you cook the pasta for half the time indicated on the package then add it to the soup, where it will continue to soak up some liquid even if the soup isn’t at a boil.

Choose which cooking method you want to use, lazy or right.

LAZY WAY: For the lazy way, just turn up the heat under the soup to a boil, then add the pasta (I do about 1 small handful per person) and cook, stirring constantly to avoid sticking, for 5-10 minutes or until pasta is tender. Test the pasta as you go; it will take longer than the time stated on the pasta box. If the pasta seems to be soaking up too much liquid and it’s becoming more like a soupy pasta rather than soup, add enough milk to bring it to your desired consistency. Remember, the pasta will continue soaking up liquid (and becoming mushier) even after you turn off the heat. Once the pasta is al dente, add the undrained beans, mix well and after a minute turn off the heat. Serve with remaining grated cheese sprinkled on top and crusty bread to mop it all up.

RIGHT WAY: If you want to make it the “right” way, bring a small pot of water to boil. Add a generous amount of salt and cook the pasta for a little less than half the time on the package (if it says 9 minutes to al dente, for example, cook it for 3 – 4 minutes). Scoop the pasta out of the boiling water with a slotted spoon at the halfway point and put it directly into the soup pot. It will continue to soak up liquid. Add milk as necessary and heat to desired temperature to serve. Add the undrained beans, mix well and serve with extra grated cheese on top.

Nota bene: no matter how you cook it, the pasta will continue to soak up the broth, it’ll just soak up considerably less if you cook it separately (the “right” way). If you want to be lazy – and I usually do – it’s best not to make it too far in advance, or the pasta will be unpleasantly overcooked and there’ll be no broth to speak of. If you do need/want to make it ahead, just don’t add the pasta; when you’re ready to serve, bring the soup to a boil, add the pasta and a bit of extra liquid as necessary. Remember: the pasta will soak up the broth even after you’ve turned off the heat! I learned this the hard way.