This is soup was awesome! I didn't have any celery or any fresh sage and I only used about a tablespoon of olive oil to cook the bacon. I used all 4 cans of beans and about 8 oz. of pancetta. Oh and I would recomend the SMALL shells pasta. If you were to use the big ones they would absorb too much broth and then it would be soupy. I will make this soup again!

Perfect healthy soup for a cold night. I added 1 cup of chopped carrots with the onion and celery, and then 6 cups of chopped escarole with the beans. Was a bit heartier with the extra veggies.

Great recipe...I did cut back on the olive oil, added a few cloves of garlic, and also used Barilla 'Plus' multi-grain pasta. I crisped up a few pieces of the pacetta and served it on top with some fresh grated Locatelli cheese, and chopped parsley. Really satisfying!!

It took some monkeyeing around with the spices after all was done to get this soup to taste right. I needed a lot more salt, although that may be because I used home made stock that didn't have too much in it. I also added some cumin for a background flavor. I skipped the pasta and instead cooked one finely diced large potato in the soup. I put about half the solids into the blender afterwards to get the right texture. I think next time I'll use bacon instead of pancetta, use commercial stock, and add a couple of dry bay leaves. I made this in the slow cooker and was looking forward to coming home to this soup all day.

This is a phenomenal recipe! I add just a tiche of fresh nutmeg just before serving. During the Fall, this is the recipe that I make big batches so I can freeze it.

I used the canned beans method and was very pleased with the outcome. I used a little extra sage and 8 oz. of pancetta instead of the 6 ounces called for, to jump up the flavor. I also used low sodium chicken broth since i had that already on hand (I don't think the extra couple of bucks would have been able to better this tasty soup). I paired it with some garlic sesame breadsticks i bought from Viviano's on The Hill. This makes for an easy, inexpensive, zestful dish i will be making all winter.

I love this soup. I make it once a month during the winter. I leave out the salt and even use low salt broth and it seems have more than enough flavor. Wonderful for a cold day.

I didn't use sage because I don't care for that flavor. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. This is a delicious, hearty soup -- perfect for a cool Fall day. I'll make this again!

For a crockpot version, soak beans overnight. Saute pancetta, onions, celery and sage in a frypan and deglaze with 1/3 cup of white wine and add everything into a crockpot and cook all day on low. Whole wheat pasta optional. (but makes a complete protein). Try adding fresh rosemary for a tuscan twist!

Like others I add chopped carrot to this recipe for flavor and color. I also use an immersion blender to partially puree the soup after about 20 minutes of cooking - then I add the pasta to the mix so everything finishes cooking at the same time. I've made this several times over the past 2 months and it always disappears fast - my kids love it!

Fabulous taste. Used 8 ounces of pancetta and reduced the olive oil. It still was a tad greasy and next time, I will reduce to just a few drops. Used one can of Great Northern beans and a Tuscan bean medley from Trader Joe's (also one can). Came together very quick and easy.

Just ok....Not my favorite...I only used 2 cans of white beans and thought that it was way too much. The pancetta was kinda of like soggy bacon once it was added with the broth. The flavor was ok...I thought it was a bit greasy tasting. Probably wont make again.

This was a great soup that my sweetie and I cooked. We used low sodium broth and less beans. Also added garlic and oregano. Bow-tie pasta and tortilinis put a nice spin on this soup. Thanks for the recipes and tips!

This tasted really wonderful but I think it had too much salt (and I used a low sodium chicken broth). Also, too many beans (and I like beans). But, I loved the taste (pancetta is so good, sub bacon if you can't find it) and I'll make again. I also used macaroni because that's what I had on hand and I just added it the last ten minutes of cooking, without boiling it in another pan. Thanks for sharing! Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

Very tasty. Added a litle white wine (1/3 cup) with the pancetta and oilive oil and reduced. Will definetly make again.

I cut the recipe in half and used the canned beans to make this an easy soup. We loved it. However, I think I will add less salt. I also added uncooked pasta to the soup rather than cooking it separately. My husband and I thought it was great and it tasted even better the next day!