Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Tasty Tuesday!

When I asked Mom for a recipe for today she went way back in the archives to get this one. This recipe is one of the first she ever made for Dad when they first moved in together. The date at the top of the recipe reads "12-2-96". I wasn't even born yet!

Mom used to buy the Pillsbury cookbooks that were sold at the checkout stands and that's where this recipe comes from. This soup is so versatile and hearty that she use to eat it ever day. It freezes great and is good for serving crowds but for some reason Mom hasn't made it in a long time. Maybe I'll get her to make it next week because believe it or not I've never tasted it.

Pasta and Bean Soup
Pillsbury Classic Cookbooks - Casseroles, Soups & Stews
10 (1-cup) servings

1 tablespoon oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 (14 1/2-oz) cans vegetable broth
2 (15.5-oz) cans Great Northern Beans, drained
1 (14.5-oz) can diced peeled tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 bay leaves
3 oz (3/4 cup) uncooked small shell macaroni

Heat oil in Dutch oven or stockpost over medium heat until hot.

Add onions, celery, carrot and garlic; cook and stir 4 minutes. Add broth, beans, tomatoes, oregano, basil, pepper and bay leaves. Bring to a boil.

Add macaroni. Reduce heat to medium; cook 10 to 13 minutes or until macaroni and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaves.


Notes:

If you haven't already done so, please print out the EWG's new Dirty Dozen list before shopping for ingredients used in this recipe. Celery is at the top of the list so if you can't find organic please leave it out or substitute.

You guys know that Mom is a garlic freak and there's no way she could put just 2 cloves in this soup. She usually ends up putting 6 cloves in especially if she's the only one eating the soup.

Great Northern Beans are a great source of fiber and protein. With 12g of fiber and 14g of protein per cup, these delicious beans pack quite a punch. When shopping for canned beans, please make sure you buy cans that are BPA-free. This is, unfortunately, not easy to do. I only know of one nationally available brand, Eden Organic, whose beans are packed in cans that are BPA-free.


The beans are grown on small organic farms in the Midwest. After picking, they are soaked overnight and expertly cooked at Eden's certified organic cannery. There's a great map on the Eden Organic website that shows where their food is processed, canned, or packaged. How cool is that? I checked out the map and saw that Mom's beans come from Meridian Foods, in Eaton, Indiana.

Independently owned and operated for over 40 years, Eden Organic buys all their food from, and pays farms directly, in a sustainable way and most of it is grown a few miles to a few hundred miles from where it is packaged. They are also a green company when it comes to facilities. In 2008 they completed a 70,000 square foot LEED certified warehouse addition in Michigan. By tracking the environmental impact of food upstream with suppliers through company operations, and downstream by monitoring all social impacts, they have proven that they're truly committed to sustainability.

Mom likes petite diced tomatoes because she feels the smaller size better compliments the soup. BPA free canned tomatoes are hard to find due to the acidic nature of tomatoes. Even Eden Organic line their cans with enamel (read: plastic) but there are alternatives, one of which is to use fresh tomatoes. Another option is Pomi, an brand of tomatoes from Italy that are packaged in Tetra Paks which are BPA free and recyclable. They are available at Whole Foods. Some glass jar tomatoes are topped with lids lined with BPA so this is not really a good option. Trader Joes also sells Tetra Pak tomatoes but you know where I stand on Trader Joes.

Mom loves pepper. What can I tell you? She doesn't measure pepper into recipes but simply cranks the pepper mill over the pot until the top is black. That must equal 1/2 teaspoon, right?

2 bay leaves are also not enough for Mom. She usually adds an additional bay leaf and then leaves them in but doesn't eat them.

Dad cannot eat a lot of pasta because it contains too many carbs. He has tried low carb pasta but didn't really like it so in lieu of eating it again, Mom has decided to try an Eden Organic variety that's made from organic carrot powder, organic annatto powder, organic beet powder, and organic spinach powder, blended with 60 percent organic whole grain durum and 40 percent organic golden amber durum semolina wheat flours. Even though it's not low carb it is super healthy and Dad won't eat it all the time. The pasta is even packaged in boxes that are recycled and recyclable.

13 comments:

dw said...

Oooo this sounds good! I've got a couple of those books from the checkout lanes, too! Haven't looked at them in a long time (not really sure where they are, but I think they're in a bin with a bunch of other old recipe stuff). My goal this summer is to go through some of my recipes and make some new things, get rid of recipes I know I won't use and organize the lot! We should find a way to share more of our favorite recipes! Btw, I like your thinking on garlic -- you can't have too much garlic! :D

Those Elgin Pugs said...

Hello My Stubby!!

AWW so cutes!! Your Mommy and Daddy's little first dates dishy and yous weren't evens a Stubby yets :O

Buts yousa Stubby nows ^.^
~

Thanks for the recipes and maybes I can makes its for your belated Stubby birfdays!! loves, Your Josie

Those Elgin Pugs said...

Oh's Stubby

I's tried to makes a little face for yous but when it posted the smiles went waaaaaay overs to the left.... sorry!!
heres a new face :@)

Kisses,
Josie

Tweedles -- that's me said...

Another recipe!
thank you
love
tweedles

Winston Wilbur said...

Mum says that looks yummies and she also wants to say she buys that brand of beans too!

Apollo said...

Thanks for the recipe, Stubby! My Mommy LOVES beans and pasta. I can't wait to help Mommy make this.

Stubby said...

Hi dw! I think that's a great goal. Mom has so many recipes from the way back days that she's never going to make and I think it's time she got rid of them.

Mom ate lots of garlic when she was in the jungle because she thought it would keep the mosquitoes away. It didn't work but she smelled really nice!

Stubby xoxo

Stubby said...

Hi Josie Girl! Mom used to do lots of cooking for her and Dad before I was born. She stopped once she gave up meat and now Dad cooks for us.

That would be pawsome if you made this soup for me. We could share a bowl and wipe each other's chins off.

Stubby xoxo

Stubby said...

Hi Tweedles! I hope you're feeling better. I'm so worried about you my little Tweedles. Maybe your mommy can make you some of this soup so you will feel better.

Stubby xoxo

Stubby said...

Hi Winston! Your mom is so smart! Those beans are the best. Mom cannot wait to make this soup next week because she remembers how good it is.

Stubby xoxo

Stubby said...

Hi Apollo! You help your mom cook just like I do. What would they do without us? I can't wait to hear how your mom likes the soup.

Stubby xoxo

Archie and Melissa said...

hi stubby!
oh ttasty tuesday is my favorite day!
your recipes are fabulous!
we cannot wait to make this one!
xoxoxo
m & e

Dana Orsborn said...

Hi Stubby!

This sounds delicious! I'll have to
try some of your recipes when I
have some time.

Hope your week is going well!

-Dana