Vegetable Bean & Pasta Soup

This soup lands somewhere between a minestrone and a pasta e fagioli, and it borrows the best ideas from both.

Vegetable broth gets a backbone of dry vermouth that adds a subtle herbal complexity you can’t quite put your finger on but definitely notice.

Fennel, garlic, and onion simmer down first, then stewed tomatoes, penne, zucchini, and crookneck squash join the pot.

Cannellini beans and green onions go in last, and by the time everything is tender, you’ve got a soup so thick it’s almost a stew.

Low-fat, loaded with fiber, and it feeds eight hungry people from one pot.

Variations

• Greens boost: Stir in a few handfuls of chopped kale or spinach in the last 5 minutes for extra color and nutrition.
• Spicy kick: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes with the garlic for a warming heat that builds as you eat.
• Parmesan finish: Float a Parmesan rind in the broth while it simmers for a savory, cheesy depth. Remove before serving.

Pro Tips

• Add the pasta directly to the soup pot so it absorbs all that flavorful broth as it cooks. Don’t cook it separately or you’ll lose that starchy, thick body.
• Cut the zucchini and squash into similar-sized dice so they cook evenly alongside the pasta.
• This soup thickens considerably as it sits. Add a splash of broth when reheating leftovers to loosen it back up.