Pasta e Fagioli

Wow! This soup was wonderful and very easy to make. It made a ton of soup. Enough for both Matt and I to have a big bowl tonight and another in the fridge for tomorrow. Plus, another two or three bowls worth in the freezer. I modified this recipe from And a Cookie for Dessert. Instead of diced tomatoes, I used two 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce. Matt refuses to eat anything I make with tomato chunks so this was a necessary change. I don't think it changed the integrity of the dish at all though. I also just used 24 oz of beef broth. This is a thick soup. I liken it to a chili thickness. I prefer it that way but if you like a brothier (is that a word?) soup, just add more broth.

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

1 lb. ground beef (I used 1/2 lb)

1 small onion, diced

1/2 of a small 1 lb. bag of baby carrots, chopped

5 stalks of celery, diced (I omitted)

2 (14.5 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes (I used 2 cans of tomato sauce)

1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (32 oz.) carton + 1 (14.5 oz.) can of beef broth (I used just 24 oz. broth)

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 1/4 tsp pepper

2 1/2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped (I omitted)

3/4 tsp tabasco sauce

1 jar (1 lb. 10 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1 cup dry small pasta (I used elbow macaroni)

salt to taste

Directions:

Brown ground beef in oil. Drain if necessary.

Add onion, carrot, celery and diced tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes.

Add beans, beef broth, oregano, pepper, parsley, tabasco sauce and spaghetti sauce. Simmer soup on low for about 30-45 minutes until carrots are almost tender.

Add pasta to pot and simmer on low for about 15-30 minutes until pasta is just shy of al dente. As the soup cools, the pasta will absorb the broth. You can cook the pasta separate and add it to the soup after the soup has cooled.