Borlotti Bean And Pasta Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
5 1/2 ounces tinned borlotti beans
4 1/4 cups vegetable broth
4 large tomatoes, chopped, skinned if you have time
4 1/2 ounces small dry pasta (farfalle or conchiglie)
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, chopped
salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces parmesan cheese or 2 ounces pecorino cheese, grated to serve

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a low heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, carrot and celery and fry gently for about 15 minutes, or until softened and translucent but not browned.
Tip in 2oz of the beans and gently crush the beans with the back of a spoon, roughly breaking them up.
Pour in the broth, increase the heat to high and bring to the boil. As soon as the broth is boiling, tip in the pasta, the remaining beans and the tomatoes. Boil for 6-10 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked al dente. Season the soup, to taste, with salt and black pepper.
Remove from the heat, stir in the chopped parsley then ladle the soup into warm serving bowls.
Sprinkle over some cheese and serve.