Pasta e Fagioli

I can honestly say that this SOUP is WAY better than Olive Garden's verison! You have got to try this one if you frequently find yourself craving soup, salad, and breadsticks! It makes for a GREAT dinner meal, as well as a hearty lunch! Believe me, once you see how easy it is to make this yourself, you will discover that it tastes EXACTLY like the cravable version....the only difference...you will be craving THIS ONE from now on!

*recipe found on TopSecretRecipes

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey

1 small onion, diced (1 cup)

1 large carrot, julienned (1 cup)

3 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves of minced garlic

2 14.5-ounce cans of diced tomatoes

1 15-ounce can red kidney beans WITH LIQUID

1 15-ounce can great northern beans WITH LIQUID

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

1 12-ounce can of V-8 juice

1 Tablespoon white vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 cup COOKED ditalini pasta (the original recipe calls for 1/2 pound uncooked, but I have found that it is too much and the soup gets all soaked up into the pasta...so start with one cup cooked, and add more to your liking)

Directions:

Brown the beef in large pan over medium heat. Drain off most the fat.

Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute for 10 minutes till veggies settle down and get tender.

Add remaining ingredients, EXCEPT PASTA, and simmer for 1 hour.

About 50 minutes into the simmering, cook the pasta in another pan of boiling water according to package directions (about 9-11 min). Drain and add the pasta to the large pot of soup and simmer for 5 minutes longer. Serve!