Pasta e Fagioli

This had good flavor and was filling, which is always nice. Jared and I both gave it a 7.5. I got the recipe from annies-eats.com. Also, instead of cooking the pasta in a separate pot, I threw it in the soup when it had about 10-15 minutes left.

Pasta e Fagioli

Yield: 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp. butter, divided
1 (20 oz.) package sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 large (or 1 medium) onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 carrots, thinly sliced
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes I used 2 garden tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed I skipped this and added a can of Great Northern beans instead
1 can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
48-64 oz. reduced-sodium beef broth (depending on how much liquid you would like) I used chicken broth
1 (28 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried basil I used fresh basil
1 tsp. salt
4 oz. small dry pasta (such as ditalini) I used small shell pasta

zucchini

DIRECTIONS

• Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a Dutch oven or large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add the sausage to the pot and brown, crumbling as it cooks.  Once the sausage is browned, remove it from the pot with a slotted spoon and discard any excess grease.
• Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the pot.  Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery, and saute over medium heat until vegetables are soft, 8-10 minutes.  Return the sausage to the pot, add the can of diced tomatoes with juices, stir briefly, and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the beans, beef broth and tomato sauce to the pot.  Add in all of the seasonings, stir well, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer at least 30 minutes.
• Add the dry pasta and continue to simmer on low for another 30 minutes.  Serve.