Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli

Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup

Servings: 12-14

You will need a large slow cooker for this recipe, 6 quart capacity minimum!  I Love Olive Garden’s soups!  And their pasta e fagioli is one of my favorites.  This version makes it difficult to head out to Olive Garden for soup!  Yep, it’s that good.  Serve it with crusty Italian bread (or bread sticks) and a tossed green salad with Italian vinaigrette, and you have Sunday supper! This is a very versatile recipe; you could sub ground turkey for the beef and sausage.  I thought the Tabasco sauce added a layer of flavor; I added it a bit at a time to be sure of the level of spiciness.  Ditalini pasta is the one that is most commonly used in this soup.  Unbelievably, I had never used ditalini before making this dish!  In my grocery store, the only brand I could find was Barilla. You can freeze left-overs if there are any!

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound lean ground beef

1 pound Italian sausage (I used mild)

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 cup matchstick carrots (or about 3-4 carrots, chopped)

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained (I used fire roasted)

2 14.5 ounce cans low sodium beef broth

1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can cannelloni (white kidney) beans, drained

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)

1 (24-ounce) jar favorite spaghetti sauce

1 ounces (1 cup) ditalini pasta (small tubes; it’s a very short macaroni)

DIRECTIONS:

·         Brown beef and sausage in skillet with olive oil, until well browned and crumbly.

·         Drain fat and add meat mixture to slow cooker.

·         Add onion, carrots, and celery to skillet and saute until tender (about 5 minutes); transfer to slow cooker.

·         Add all remaining ingredients to slow cooker, EXCEPT for PASTA) and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, or on high 4 to 5 hours.

·         Add the pasta during the last hour, stirring to combine and cook until pasta is al dente.

·         Serve and top with Parmesan cheese!