- 1 cup ditalini pasta
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 quart chicken broth
- 1 (15 ounce) can Romano beans, drained
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 pinch crushed dried chile pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 4 teaspoons grated Romano cheese, or to taste
- Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat; stir in the ditalini, and return to a boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 6 minutes; drain.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; stir in onion and bacon and saute until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir garlic into onion mixture; cook over medium-low heat just until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir chicken broth, beans, tomato paste, and chile pepper into onion-bacon mixture; bring to a simmer and cook until fully heated through, about 10 minutes. Stir ditalini and parsley into the soup; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle each serving with Romano cheese.