Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 medium carrots, finely diced
• 2 medium celery stalks, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• ¼ cup dried lentils, rinsed (preferably French green lentils)
• 1 cup diced or chopped canned tomatoes with their juices
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• ¾ cup dried whole wheat elbow pasta

Instructions

• Heat 2 tablespoons of water in a large pot over medium-low heat. Saute onion, carrots, and celery and increase the heat to medium. Cook until onions become translucent, stirring frequently. If bottom of pot becomes brown, add 2 tablespoons of water.
• Add garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Add the broth, salt, beans, lentils, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and rosemary. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the lentils are just tender, 15-30 minutes.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer 1 cup of bean mixture and a little liquid to a blender. Puree until smooth and set aside.
• Add the dried pasta to the pot and stir to incorporate. Turn the heat up to a gentle boil and cook until pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8-12 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.
• Stir the reserved pureed bean mixture into the soup. Cook briefly until soup is heated through.
• Remove the soup from heat and season with salt. Serve immediately.

Ready in about 1 hour
Makes 4-6 servings