Pasta Fagioli

Ingredients

4 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
6 garlic cloves
⅓ cup olive oil, plus more for serving
1 smoked ham hock
1 bunch Tuscan kale, chopped, stems removed (red chard works too)
1 28 can diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes crushed with hands
2 15 oz cans Cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
8 cups chicken stock
1-2 parmesan rinds
2 bay leaves
8 oz small pasta (ditalini)
Freshly grated parm for serving

Instructions

In a food processor pulse garlic cloves, then add carrot and onion and pulse until finely chopped. Might have to do this in batches. This forms a soffritto which will slowly cook down and become base for soup.
Heat 1/3 cup olive oil in large dutch oven over medium heat.
Add chopped vegetables, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often until they start to sweat out some of their liquid.
Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook soffritto until very soft for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
Add ham hock and cook uncovered until vegetables start to brown and have lost at least half their volume. About 10 minutes.
Add stock, kale, beans, tomatoes, parm rind, bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook with lid askew for about 45 min to an hour.
Remove ham hock and pull meat off the bone and add to soup. Discard bone and large pieces of fat. Doesn’t yield a lot of meat but adds smokey flavor.  
Pull out parm rinds and bay leaves and discard. 
In a separate pot cook ditalini in salted water until al dente. Drain and add pasta to soup. 
Stir and serve with grated parmesan on top. 

Total time: 2 hours
Serves 6-8
Modified from Bon Appetit