Soup rarely suffices as a full meal. Restaurants usually offer the classic pairing of soup served with either a salad or sandwich in order to satisfy appetites. This is an especially appealing lunch option for me since it’s not only guaranteed to quench my hunger, it also offers a combination of temperatures, textures and, let’s face it, when you’re unsure what to order, it’s a safe bet.

A big, steaming bowl of soup more often than not provides the opportunity to have at least a little of everything in one spoonful: flavorful broth, fragrant herbs, a hearty protein (like beans or meat) and healthy veggies. Contrary to restaurant menus everywhere, this Italian pasta and bean soup is substantial enough to serve for a filling dinner, and it will keep you warm on a chilly winter night in the process.

Pasta e Fagioli

• 1 cup dried ditalini pasta
• 2 ½ cups canned small white beans, rinsed
• 2 tablespoon plus 2 ½ cups water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound of ground sausage
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 10 small fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
• Leaves from 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups chicken broth
• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

Fill a medium saucepan with 2 ½ cups of water and flavor with salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and add pasta. Boil until partially cooked, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into colander, reserving pasta water in a large bowl, and set both aside. Combine ½ cup of the beans and 2 tablespoons of water in a food processor and process until smooth. Set aside. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking with a wooden spoon, until brown. Add onion and cook until soft. Stir in garlic, sage, and rosemary and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in tomato paste and cook until it melts into the other ingredients, about 2 minutes. Thin tomato mixture with 2 cups of reserved pasta water and chicken broth, add remaining 2 cups of beans, and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add pasta and bean purée to soup, and simmer until pasta is al dente, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper, if necessary, and serve, topped with cheese.

This pasta and bean soup dispels any myths that a good soup has to take all day. It’s quick and easy, yet not boring or thrown together without purpose. The flavored and spiced sausage flavors the soup before anything else is even added, with its browned exterior. Thick tomato paste melts into the hot soup base, coating the herbed meat, onion and garlic mixture. The recycled starchy pasta water acts as a thickener for the soup’s liquid, as does the roux-like concoction of pureed beans. Finished with salty, melted cheese, this pasta e fagioli offers comfort by the spoonful, with heaps of perfectly cooked pasta, beans and meat in a tomato based broth.

Casey Ann is a local foodie and blogger. Read more at www.cleanpl8.com.