Pasta Fagioli Soup - Olive Garden

 

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 1 cup diced carrots (about 2 medium)
• 1 cup diced celery (about 3 stalks)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbsp)
• 3 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
• 2 14.5 oz cans low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water, then more as desired
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup dry ditalini pasta - I use whatever Gluten Free Pasta I have on hand
• 1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• Finely shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese , for serving
• 3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

Instructions

• Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat, crumble in ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally until cooked through. 
• Drain fat from beef then transfer beef to a plate, set aside. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil in same pot. 
• Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute over medium-high heat until tender about 6 minutes, add garlic and saute 1 minute longer. 
• Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, water, canned tomatoes, sugar, basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram and cooked beef then season with salt and pepper to taste. 
• Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low, cover with lid and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft, about 15 - 20 minutes. 
• Meanwhile prepare ditalani pasta according to directions on package, cooking to al dente.
• Add cooked and drained pasta to soup* along with kidney beans and great northern beans. Thin with a little more broth or water if desired. 
• Allow to cook 1 minute longer. Stir in parsley, serve warm with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.

Notes

*If you don't plan on eating all of the soup right away I recommend adding the pasta to individual servings. Otherwise pasta gets soggy and absorbs too much broth.