Simple White Bean Soup with Pasta

You don't need much to make beans taste good, they already have that covered. This is a really good, simple, easy to make meal. (Revised January 2022)

Ingredients:
2 cans cannelloni (white kidney) beans, drained. I don't rinse them.
1/2 cup small pasta, shells for example
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 carrot, grated
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper. Add a little cayenne for heat if it suits you.
Cup of chopped cilantro or parsley
2 cups water. A little more if adding pasta.

Directions:
In your soup pot saute/cook the onion, garlic, and carrot in the olive oil until the onion is transparent.
Add the beans, water, salt, pepper and cayenne and bring to a boil, then simmer covered 25 to 30 minutes, until the beans start to lose their structure. You can use your immersion blender or a potato masher if you want a smoother consistency. Add the pasta and cook a two minutes longer than the recommended time for your pasta. Add most of the parsley or cilantro.

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, some cilantro or parsley, and grate some fresh Parmesan cheese. This kind of soup really brings the taste of the Parmesan to the forefront.
And it's a fun ritual.