Page 20 - 2022 Recipes | University of Rochester

Jessica Marten’s
joanie’s

bean soup

NUMBER OF SERVINGS: 4-6 PREP TIME: 15 minutes COOK TIME: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 cans cannellini beans
1 cup chicken stock
1 ham steak
Small pasta of your choice

DIRECTIONS:
This simple recipe was my mother’s. To me, it is the ultimate comfort food. And it freezes
well, so I usually double, triple, or quadruple the recipe when I make it.

Saute onion in olive oil until soft. Add garlic and saute 3-5 minutes. Before the garlic browns,
add crushed tomatoes, beans, stock, and ham. Simmer and cook until flavors meld and soup
thickens. Remove the ham steak, cut into small pieces and return to soup.

Serve the soup over small pasta. I like ditalini best, but small shells or elbows work as well.

JESSICA MARTEN is the Curator in Charge/Curator of American Art at the Memorial Art
Gallery of the University of Rochester.

During this season of “thanks,” I am grateful for the ability to work from home. Greeting my son
as he gets off the bus at the end of the school day and having the chance to eat lunch with my
daughter and husband – I am cherishing those moments. They’re one of many silver linings I
am choosing to focus on in this otherwise cloudy year.