Pasta Fagioli

I came across this awhile ago, on a year of slowing cooking, and have been meaning to try it. It is similar to Olive Garden's Pasta E. Fagioli. My throat was sore so I decided that it would be the perfect night to try this out, and I glad I did. It makes quite a bit of soup so we have enough leftovers for dinner another night this week and maybe one lunch.

Pasta Fagioli

- 1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
- 1/2 large red onion, chopped (I used a sweet onion it was on hand)
-1 cup carrots, chopped
-2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (and juice)
-1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
-1 can white beans, drained and rinsed ( great northern is the type I used)
-4 cups beef broth (I used 1 can and called it good)
-1 jar (16.5 oz) pasta sauce (I only have a 10 oz jar and used it)
-2 tsp oregano
-1 T Tabasco sauce (didn't have any)
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1/2 cup dry pasta, to add at end of cooking time (I used between 1/2 and 1 cup of pasta)


1. Brown the meat on the stovetop, and drain well. I added some red pepper flakes to the meat since I didn't have any hot sauce to add later.
2. Chop up the carrots and onion. Add it to the empty crockpot.
3. Drain and rinse the beans, and add them.
4. Add the whole cans of tomatoes,the pasta sauce, beef broth, salt, pepper, oregano, and Tobasco sauce. Stir in your meat.
5. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. When the vegetables are tender, stir in the 1/2 cup of dry pasta.
6. Cover and cook for another hour on low, or until the pasta is tender. It will swell quite a bit.

Serve with a bit of parmesan cheese if you have it.