Heinen’s 4PM Panic | Ditalini Soup with Chickpeas, Tomatoes, Garlic and Rosemary

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3 mins read

Ditalini soup with chickpeas, tomatoes garlic and rosemary is our go-to, soul warming choice for easy and a quick weeknight dinner.  Many years ago, when my oldest was a toddler and he had two little brothers following him around the house, life was simple and crazy. I liked to feed my little band of thieves with as much whole, nutritious food as possible. I still cook that way today. They are all great eaters and it started right from their first food.

Don’t be so terribly impressed. My style of cooking came naturally. It was survival. Cooking from scratch was more cost effective AND there were three boys – three hungry boys, three active, rambunctious, loud boys. When we were home all day together we cooked to give us something to do together. It broke the monotony of being outnumbered by little men all day and gave them great memories and a adventurous appetite.

One of my dear friends gave me this recipe. Her Mom had made it for her family when they were small and now her own kids loved it. My gang has been enjoying it for 20 year now.  I hope it becomes a staple in your recipe lineup.

The beauty of this soup is in the simple ingredients and the ease. Most everything in this recipe can usually be found in my pantry so it’s perfect for those days when you haven’t got a clue what to throw together for dinner.

If your family is a meat and potato gang and the protein from the chickpeas isn’t enough, you could serve the soup as a starter course or add shredded rotisserie chicken or grilled shrimp to the recipe. You’ll see in the directions that you can mash some of the chickpeas or add most of them to a blender to make a creamier soup. My gang likes it creamy but it is equally delicious either way.

This is another recipe that you can make your own to please your gang. It would be easy to take it in the direction of a traditional Pasta e Fagioli by adding peppers, carrots and celery when you sauté your onions, then add in a bit of ground sausage. This is what I love about cooking. You can be creative every day.

Ditalini with Chickpeas, Tomatoes, Garlic and Rosemary Soup

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped (11/2 cups)
  • 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
  • 1  28 oz can of chopped Roma tomatoes
  • 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken  broth
  • 1/2 pound ditalini or tubetti
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

METHOD:

  • Heat oil in large soup pot or 
Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 
onion and rosemary sprigs, and sauté 
5 to 7 minutes, or until onion has softened.
  • Add garlic, and sauté 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, and season with salt, 
if desired. Sauté 3 to 5 minutes. Remove rosemary sprigs.
  • Add chickpeas, and slightly 
mash with fork or potato masher to thicken soup.
  • Add broth, and bring to a boil.
  • If desired, remove 1/2 -2/3 of the solids in the soup and place in a blender.  Blend until smooth then return to soup pot and stir in with remaining soup.
  • 
Cook pasta according to directions but cook 1 minute less than package directions suggest. Add pasta when serving.  This way the pasta doesn’t get soft sitting in the soup.
  • Season soup with salt, if desired, 
and pepper. Garnish each serving with 
1 Tbs. Parmesan and 1 tsp. basil.

Note, it tastes good with a dollop of sour cream or Crème fraîche.

About the Author

Photographer Sally Roeckell specializes in contemporary lifestyle portraiture with an emphasis on food photography. Her Blog, Table and Dish is a website devoted to celebrating and curating the many ways that food binds us. Sally hopes that her recipes and images will inspire you to gather your friends and family in the kitchen to make memories, use the time to connect with busy kids, chat over mixing bowls, get messy, laugh, sing, set the table, clear the table, pass the salt, debate the days topics and pray. You can follow her here as a weekly contributor to 365Barrington and Heinen’s as well as via Table and Dish on Instagram and on her website at TableAndDish.com.

Have you heard about Heinen’s Tasteful Rewards™ program? Sign up for free to receive exclusive weekly specials via email and earn Heinen’s rewards. As a Tasteful Rewards™ membership benefit, Heinen’s will donate up to 1% of your qualified purchases made between September and April to a local school of your choice through their Teaming Up for Education Program. CLICK HERE to sign up for Heinen’s Tasteful Rewards™ and, trust me, this is one email that will always please your palate!

Heinen’s Grocery is located at 500 N. Hough Street, between E. Main Street and Route 14 (next to Meatheads) in Barrington, Illinois. They’re open 7 days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit Heinens.com.

 

 

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