- 6
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 10 cups chicken broth
- 8 garlic cloves, whacked with the side of a large knife, plus 3 cloves,
- chopped
- 1/4 lb small rigatoni
- extra virgin olive oil
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- needles from 1 fresh rosemary sprig
- 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3/4 lb bulk sausage
- 1 can (28oz) plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 2 cans (28oz each) cannellini beans
- 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- juice of 1 lemon
- coarsely ground black pepper
- 12 baguette slices
- 4 Tbsp butter - softened
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Preparation
Step 1
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the rigatoni.
Combine the broth and smashed garlic cloves in a big saucepan and simmer for about 15 minutes to give the broth a nice garlicky taste; remove garlic with a slotted spoon and discard.
Cook the rigatoni in the boiling water for 6 minutes; it should be slightly underdone. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, pour 1/4 c olive oil into another big saucepan. Add the sage and rosemary and warm the oil over medium heat to infuse it with the herbs, 3-4 minutes. Discard the herbs. Add the carrots, celery, onion and the chopped garlic and cook 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables are softened, but not browned. Dump that out onto a plate. Add a drizzle of oil to the pan, then the sausage and cook, breaking up the sausage with the side of the spoon, until well browned. Return vegetables to the pan, along with the drained tomatoes and cook 5 minutes. Now add the beans, parsley, bay leaf, lemon juice, broth and lots of coarsely ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook 15 minutes. Stir in the cooked rigatoni. Discard bay leaf.
To serve, preheat the broiler. Put the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and brush with softened butter. Sprinkle with the Parmigiano and broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and float a couple of croutons on top of each serving.
** Check the bread after 2 minutes - my bread was burned in 3 minutes. In my oven, it takes about 2-1/2 minutes.