Pasta Fagiola Soup Mix in a Jar

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup dried great northern beans
• 3/4 cup pinto beans
• 3/4 cup red beans
• 1/4 cup dried chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried celery flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 1/4 cups small pasta (shells, bowties or ditalini)

Instructions

1. Layer ingredients in a 1 quart jar. If you'd like you can rinse all the dried beans first, and look for any shriveled ones. Dry on paper towels overnight and combine with the spices.
2. You can package the pasta separately, in a zip top or cloth bag, and add to the jar. You can put the bay leaf on top if you'd like, or just place it down the side of the jar, and pour in the other ingredients.
3. Attach the following recipe on a gift tag:

Pasta Fagiola Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 pound ham, chopped
2 (28 ounce) cans Italian plum tomatoes, chopped
4 cups chicken stock or water

In a large pot, sauté carrot, celery, and ham in olive oil. Add tomatoes, chicken stock or water and bean mix. Bring to a boil. Cover partially, reduce heat and simmer 2-3 hours until beans are tender. Pasta may be added now. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes or until pasta is al dente. You may even want to cook pasta separately, place in the bottom of the bowl and then spoon hot soup over the pasta. Garnish with shredded parmesan cheese.