Course Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6quarts
Ingredients
3leeks (white and pale green parts), quartered and sliced
¼cupolive oil
3clovesgarlic, minced
2cupssliced carrots
3stalkscelery, sliced
1cupdiced sweet bell peppers
½cupwhite wine
12cupsreduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
¼cuptomato paste
¾cupsun-dried tomatoes, chopped (drained, if in oil)
½cupfresh basil, sliced (divided)
½cupfresh parsley, chopped (divided)
2 - 3tspkosher salt
1tspdried marjoram
1tspdried oregano
¼tspground black pepper
⅛ - ¼tspred pepper flakes
1cupuncooked ditalini pasta, about 4½ oz (or other small pasta shape)
114 oz cankidney beans, drained and rinsed
114 oz canGreat Northern beans, drained and rinsed (or other white beans)
1cupdiced zucchini
2cupsdeveined and chopped kale
3ozfinely grated Romano cheese, divided
juice of ½ lemon
Instructions
Before getting started, make sure your leeks are properly cleaned. Fill a large bowl with water and add in your sliced leeks. Stir them around with your hands and you'll see that all the dirt and grit sink to the bottom while the leeks float. Carefully scoop out the leeks and set aside.
In a large soup pot (at least 7 quarts), heat the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering and then add in the leeks and garlic. Gently saute for 5 minutes.
Add in the celery, carrots, and peppers. Give everything a good stir and saute for another 5 minutes.
Pour in the white wine and deglaze the pot, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Simmer for a couple more minutes.
Pour in the broth as well as the tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, half of the fresh basil and parsley, 2 tsp of salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, dried marjoram, and dried oregano. Stir well and bring to a low boil.
Add the ditalini to the pot and cook for 10 minutes.
Now add the beans, kale, zucchini, the rest of the basil and parsley, and 2 ounces of the grated Romano. Simmer for 5 minutes. Pour in the lemon juice.
Taste for seasoning and add the remaining salt, if desired. Serve hot and topped with a good pinch of Romano. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition information per serving (1 cup): 110 calories, 4 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 14 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 5 g protein