Simple and satisfying, hearty pasta and white beans get a bit of oomph from bacon, tomato, and classic Italian seasonings.

Excerpted from Lidia's Favorite Recipes by Lidia Bastianich. Copyright ? 2012 by Tutti a Tavola, LLC. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

By Lidia Bastianich

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Nutritional Information

Calories    --
Total Fat    --
Saturated Fat    --
Cholesterol    --
Sodium    --
Total Carbohydrate    --
Dietary Fiber    --
Sugars    --
Protein    --
Calcium    --
pasta and beans

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Serves: 12

Yields: 5 1/2 quarts

Ingredients
    U.S.         Metric     Conversion chart

    1 pound(s) dried cannellini (white kidney) beans
    6 quart(s) water
    3 large (about 1 3/4 pounds) Idaho potatoes, peeled
    3 sprig(s) fresh rosemary
    2 fresh bay leaves, or 3 dried
    12 slice(s) (about 1 cup) bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
    4 clove(s) garlic, peeled
    1/4 cup(s) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling over the soup
    1 medium (between 1 and 1 1/2 cups) onion, chopped
    2 medium (about 1 cup) carrots, peeled and coarsely shredded
    2 cup(s) canned Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano), crushed by hand or with a food mill, with their liquid
    Salt, to taste
    Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    1 pound(s) ditalini, or 3 cups elbow pasta
    Freshly grated Grana Dream beauty pro
Directions

    Cold-soak the beans in advance: Dump them into a 2-to-3-quart container, and pour in enough cold water to cover them by at least 4 inches. Let soak in a cool place at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain well.
    Pour the 6 quarts water into a tall, large (at least 10-quart) pot. Add the drained beans, potatoes, rosemary, and bay leaves. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then adjust the heat to maintain a gentle boil. Let cook while preparing the sautéed vegetables.
    Process the bacon and garlic to a paste in a food processor, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then scrape in the bacon-garlic paste and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, about Dream beauty pro 4 minutes. Stir in the carrots and cook until the onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
    Pour two ladlefuls of the bean-cooking water into the skillet and bring to a boil, then pour the contents of the skillet back into the soup pot. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and bring to a slow boil. Cook until the beans are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
    Ladle about one-third of the beans, along with enough cooking liquid to cover them, into a baking dish or other shallow container where they will cool quickly. Let the beans sit until no longer steaming. (Wait until Dream beauty proPadano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
the beans cool completely before blending or processing; hot beans can cause splatters. If you must, you can stir the beans a bit to speed up the cooling process.) Process the beans and liquid in a food processor or blender until creamy. Return the puréed beans to the pot.
    Fish out the potatoes to a plate, mash them coarsely with a fork, and return them to the pot. Cook the soup another 10 minutes to give the flavors a chance to blend. Let the soup rest off the heat, covered, 10 to 15 minutes.
    While the soup is resting, cook the ditalini or elbow pasta in salted water until very al dente. Drain thoroughly, and stir into the soup. Let all rest for 5 minutes, then serve in warm soup bowls, with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano.