Chickpea and Pasta Soup

This is a great pantry soup for those days that are short on time, and comes from Jane Brody's Good Food Book. I've made a few changes to the recipe, and it never disappoints. Great comfort meal on a cold day!

1 tbs butter or olive oil

1 medium chopped onion

1 tsp dried thyme

1 16 oz can fire-roasted diced tomato

2 minced garlic cloves

1 box beef stock

2 cans of cooked chickpeas, drained

3 large potatoes, diced

1/2 cup small pasta (shells, elbows, ditalini)

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

In a large pot, melt the butter and cook the onion with the thyme, stirring, for 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and their juice and the garlic, simmering and stirring occasionally, for 10-15 min. If the chunks of tomato are too large, smash them a bit with a potato masher so the bits are smaller.

Add the broth and chickpeas, and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add the pasta, potatoes and pepper, and simmer for another 10-15 min or until the potatoes and pasta are just tender. Thin the soup with additional stock or water if necessary. Serve the soup with some Parmesan sprinkled in each bowl. Crusty bread makes and excellent side.