Pasta e Fagioli III Recipe

Place navy beans ham bone and 10 cups of water into a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat to medium-low cover and simmer until the beans are tender from 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Meanwhile bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain rinse with cold water to chill then set aside.

Once beans are nearly ready heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes celery carrot red pepper flakes and 1 cup of water; bring to a simmer then reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the carrot has softened about 10 minutes. While the tomato mixture simmers remove the ham bone from the beans. Separate the meat from the bone; dice the meat and discard the bone.

To finish the soup stir the beans cooked macaroni and diced ham into the tomato mixture; add additional water if needed to make a chunky soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper; simmer until the macaroni and beans are both quite tender from 5 to 15 minutes. Stir in chopped parsley before serving.