1/2 sm. hot red pepper, such as serrano or 1/8 tsp. crushed hot red pepper
1 sm. onion, finely chopped
1 sm. celery rib, finely chopped
1 med. carrot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 lbs. tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped or 2 c. drained canned plum tomatoes
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 unshelled cranberry beans or 2 1/2 c. cooked dried or drained canned white beans
6 c. hot vegetable broth
3/4 c. short macaroni, such as tubetti
Freshly grated Pecorino cheese

In a large saucepan, cook the hot pepper, onion, celery, carrot and garlic in the olive oil over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and salt and cook for 10 more minutes.

Add the beans (if using unshelled beans, shell and rinse them first) to the tomato mixture and cook for 3 minutes. If using cooked dried beans, add the vegetable broth and bring just to a gentle boil. If using fresh beans, increase the heat to moderately high, add the broth, and cook until the beans are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.