Easy Vegetable Bean and Pasta Soup Recipe (2024)

March 2, 2012 by Jeanette 27 Comments

Over the past month or so, I’ve been teaching aseries of soup classes at our local senior center. I was honored to be asked back again this year – what a rewarding experience to say the least. The ladies in the class were all so gracious and it was really fun to swap food shopping tips and stories. I didn’t have a set menu for any of these classes; instead, I polled the class to see what they wanted to make next. One bowl soup meals seemed to be overwhelmingly the favorite.

One of the soups I made during this soup class series was this Easy Vegetable Bean and Pasta Soup, a bowl of comfort that has all the elements to nourish the body. There are endless possibilities when making soup. Vegetables can easily be added or swapped out. Different beans can be used. Favorite pasta shapes can be added. The base, however, is always consistent. I saute onion, carrot and celery until fragrant, then start adding the other ingredients. The idea behind teaching this soup to the class was to demonstrate that soup is extremely flexible and can provide a complete meal in a short amount of time.

You can cook the pasta directly in the soup or you can simply add some leftover cooked pasta. Just remember to add more liquid (broth or water) if you choose to cook the pasta in the soup.

Today, a group of bloggers is celebrating Severine von Tscharner Fleming, one of theTop 50 Women Game Changers In Food. I had never heard of Severine, but according to Gourmet Live, she is thefounder and director of the Greenhorns, whose mission is to recruit, promote, and support young farmers. “The upshot: Nonindustrial farming is fun and it’s hip; it’s an explosive movement. And this is indubitably a good thing.” According to their website, Greenhorns isa land-based non profit serving young farmers across America whose mission is to recruit, support, promote and support young farmers in America.

In addition to creating an interactive map charting farmers under 40, Severine is making ‘‘The Greenhorns,’’ a documentary on ‘‘organic entrepreneurs.’’ ‘‘I want to show how sweet and honest and brave and purposeful they are,’’ she said of her subjects.

I thought this simple soup recipe chock full of farm fresh vegetables was representative of the movement that Severine is spearheading. Served with some whole grain bread topped with fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil, this made a nice satisfying lunch that I think Severine would approve of – I know the ladies in my class did.

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