Soup's On, Italian Style

Well Winter has finally arrived here whether we were ready for it or not. While we still haven't seen much snow here, the cold weather has set in. Of course as soon as it gets chilly outside all I want is a big bowl of soup to warm me up. Pasta Fagioli is one of those meals that just hits the spot, it is filling and hearty and pretty simple to make for a quick weeknight meal.
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it is very easy to substitute ingredients for whatever you have on hand. You can use basically any type of bean, and if you don't have pancetta in the house you can substitute bacon or even prosciutto. I have made this soup with many different combinations and every time it has come out delicious. Make sure you make a big batch of this soup as it gets eaten up very quickly!

Pasta Fagioli

Ingredients
4 oz. Pancetta
1 medium onion (small dice)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 15 oz. can petite dice tomatoes
2 15 oz. cans canellini beans (rinsed and drained)
4 15 oz. cans chicken stock
1 cup ditalini pasta
2 bay leaves, 1 tsp rosemary, and 1 tsp. peppercorns (tied into a sachet of cheesecloth)

Directions
1. Saute pancetta, onions and garlic in butter and olive oil about 3 minutes or until onions are softened and pancetta is browned.
2. Add beans and tomatoes and stir until combined. Add in chicken stock and sachet of herbs and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
3.Transfer about 1 cup of the bean and tomato mixture without liquid to a bowl and puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
4. While pureeing the bean and tomato mixture bring soup to a boil and add ditalini to cook for about 10 minutes or until al dante.
5. Once ditalini is al dante add the bean puree back into the soup. Stir well and serve with your favorite bread!