Bean Soup for a Cold Day

I like to cook tasty, economical, organic vegan food, and that means I cook a lot of dried beans. I buy them from the bulk bin at the Food Coop, usually a little over a pound at a time (just about half a kilo), and I soak them overnight, then cook them on the stovetop until tender (between an hour and a half and two hours, depending on the type of bean). Then I use the cooked beans in a variety of recipes. Today I cooked kidney beans, and I used some of the beans to make bean soup -- I'll use the rest of the beans later in the week. You can see by the photo that the soup lives up to its name.

Beautiful Bean Soup

2 medium red peppers, seeded and chopped
2 red onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes with basil
2 cups water
4 cups cooked kidney beans, with some of the cooking liquid
2 teaspoons oregano
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups whole wheat fusilli or penne pasta
Salt and hot pepper sauce to taste

1. Heat an inch of water in a soup pot, and when it boils, add the peppers and onions. Poach the vegetables in water until they are are fork tender; add more water as needed. (NOTE: I never saute vegetables in olive oil but instead cook them in water before adding the oil. That's because olive oil retains more of its healthful properties if it's not heated above the boiling point of water. It's important, however, not to end up with a soupy mess, so don't add more water than you need to cook the veggies.)
2. Add the olive oil and the garlic, and a little more water if necessary. Cover and cook gently for five minutes.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the pasta. Cover the soup pot and continue to cook gently.
4. Cook the penne pasta or fusilli in a separate pot.
5. When the pasta is al dente, drain it and add it to the rest of the ingredients. (NOTE: You can cook the pasta in the soup liquid, but then the soup has a tendency to stick if you don't stir it frequently enough. That's why I like to cook the pasta separately.)

This soup is wonderful on a cold day and makes a complete meal if you serve it with nice whole grain bread. This recipe makes six generous servings.