Paste e fagioli is a great Venetian dish. This thick and hearty soup will warm you on those chilly days.
For this recipe, you will need olive oil, one onion, garlic cloves, carrots, celery, one pound of sweet Italian sausage links or hot Italian sausage, dry oregano, dry basil, red pepper flakes, canned chopped tomatoes, chicken stock, one can of cannelloni beans (I use the Progresso brand), small shell pasta, flat leaf parsley, and parmesan cheese.
To prep for this recipe, you will need to peel and chop the onion and one carrot. Peel and finely chop one garlic clove. Chop one celery stalk. Chop enough flat leaf parsley to make 2 tablespoons.
Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped garlic clove, chopped celery stalk, and chopped carrot. Let the vegetables cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the sausage from the casing and crumble it into the pot. Let it cook until brown. Add 2 teaspoons of dry oregano, one tablespoon of dry basil, and 1 or 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you want the soup). Mix well.
Stir in 1 1/2 cups of canned chopped tomatoes with the juice. Add 3 or 4 cups of chicken stock. Bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes.
If the soup cooks down too much, add another cup of the chicken stock. Add the can of cannelloni beans and one cup of the small shell pasta. Let this cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is done.
Stir in 2 tablespoons of the chopped flat leaf parsley. Serve hot sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese.