Italian Bean & Pasta Soup

• 1 pound dried cranberry or pinto beans (about 3 cups), picked over and rinsed
• 10 cups water
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1-3/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 5 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind, roughly 2 by 3 inches (optional)
• 3/4 pound dried small pasta

1. Bring the beans and water to a boil in a large heavy soup pot and boil for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Do not drain the beans or discard the soaking liquid.
2. Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, and then add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and saute, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, parsley, rosemary, and pepper, and saute, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
3. Add the beans with their soaking liquid and the cheese rind (if you have one on hand) and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender. This could take 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours, depending on the age of your beans. Add more water if necessary to keep the beans covered, and stir more frequently toward the end of cooking. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 cup of the oil and the remaining 1-1/4 Teaspoons salt. Cool, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
5. Remove and discard the cheese rind. Transfer the soup to a blender (careful, it's hot) and coarsely puree until smooth, then return it to the pot. Or use an immersion blender and puree the soup right in the pot. Reheat over moderately low heat, stirring frequently. Add water to thin if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. While the soup is reheating, cook the pasta until al dente, and then drain in a colander and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and pepper to taste.
7. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and top with spoonfuls of pasta, and then drizzle with additional olive oil.
8. Note: The soup gets quite a bit thicker as it stands, so you may want to add water when reheating if you've made it ahead of time.
9. Excerpted from "Soup Night," by (c) Maggie Stuckey, used with permission from Storey Publishing
10. Calories: 561;

cranberry, water, olive oil, onions, salt, carrots, celery stalks, garlic, parsley, rosemary, black pepper, rind, pasta

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/italian-bean-pasta-soup-52652711 (may not work)