Pasta e Fagioli is a delicious soup. Rich, earthy, nutritious, and quite satisfying, this is a favorite soup of ours here at Salty Cook central. You can put this soup together several hours before you plan to eat and let it simmer a while to really get those flavors melded together.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef (you could use sausage if you like instead)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 4 cloves of minced garlic
• 14 ounces diced tomatoes
• 14 ounces cannelini or great northern beans
• 14 ounces kidney beans
• 4 cups chicken broth or stock
• 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (use fresh if you have it)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (use fresh if you have it)
• 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup Ditalini pasta
• Garlic salt & pepper to taste

Process

1. Put the olive oil into a large stockpot over medium heat.
2. Add the beef or sausage and let it cook. If using beef, season it with a generous sprinkle of garlic salt as it cooks. No need to drain the meat; the fat is part of the soup.
3. Stir in the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Let the mix cook for about ten minutes, until the veggies are getting softer.
4. Add all of the other ingredients except the ditalini.
5. Bring the soup to a boil, then back it off to a low simmer.
6. Let the soup simmer for at least 20 minutes. You can let it simmer for pretty much as long as you want. Cover it with a lid if you plan to leave it for more than 20 minutes.
7. 15 minutes before you plan to eat, add the Ditalini pasta to the soup.
8. Serve and enjoy! This soup is great by itself, but it would also pair nicely with a good salad or perhaps some garlic toast.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! If you did, check out our recipes page for more.