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Pasta e Fagioli Soup

Pasta e Fagioli Soup

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey)
  • 1 small onion finely diced
  • 1 cup shredded carrots (if you'd rather have chunks or diced that is fine too, I just do shredded for the kids so they don't know it's healthy
  • 1 cup celery finely sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 28 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 16 oz tomato sauce
  • 30 oz cans beef broth
  • 15 oz red kidney beans, with liquid
  • 15 oz great northern beans, with liquid
  • 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste, if needed
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 cup apple juice
  • 8 oz dry ditalini pasta
  • Parmesan cheese or mozzarella, for serving
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Garlic powder, oregano, basil to taste

Instructions

  1. Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, lightly seasoning with salt & pepper. Drain then add to a large slow cooker. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, kidney beans, great northern beans, salt, oregano, basil, thyme and pepper.

  2. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or until veggies are tender.

  3. Add in apple juice.

  4. When the soup has 10 minutes left to cook, cook pasta in salted boiling water until just under al dente. Drain, then add to the soup and let cook for about 5-10 more minutes. (if you add the uncooked pasta straight to the slow cooker it will get really thick so you'll have to add a lot more broth, and then adjust the seasonings. Unfortunately, it's best this time to stick with the stove top to cook the noodles.)

  5. Salt and pepper to taste. Then season with garlic powder, oregano and basil, if needed. (*I also added a little more beef broth because, it got too thick)

  6. Ladle into serving bowls and top with Parmesan cheese or mozzarella.