A Copycat Version of Olive Garden’s Pasta e Fagioli Soup

Yesterday was cold, dark and rainy all day long.

The perfect dinner on a day like that is a warm hearty soup.

This soup is just that, it is comfort in a bowl.

It went together quickly and tasted amazing!

What you need,

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1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)

2 stalks celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

1 15oz can tomato sauce

1 15oz can beef broth

1 15oz can red kidney beans, with the liquid

1 15oz can great northern white bean, with liquid

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. dried thyme

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 small Parmesan Cheese rind, optional

6 oz. ditalini, or any small tube pasta

Brown the ground beef in a large pot over medium high heat. Season the browned meat lightly with salt and pepper. One the beef is cooked through drain off any excess fat.

Add in the onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Sauté over medium heat for about 10 minutes, just until the veggies start to soften.

Next add in the tomatoes and sauce, beans, broth, Parmesan rind if using and spices. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper.

Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour or until the veggies are tender.

To finish the soup, cook the pasta in a separate pot according to package directions. Drain and add the cooked pasta to the soup. Stir to combine.

Serve with some crusty bread, I like sourdough.

Note,

Next time I make this soup, I am going to use 1 28oz. can of diced tomatoes instead of crushed tomatoes. I found using the crushed made the soup really thick, almost more like a chili, I think the diced tomatoes would thin it out a bit.

Also, any small white bean will work I couldn’t find canned great northern white so I used cannellini.

I hope spring comes soon! But until then, I am going to eat this soup!

Jen

Recipe adapted from Iowa Girl Eats