Pasta Fagioli

Let me begin by apologizing for my horrible photograph of this delicious soup! I love my digital camera, but it certainly isn't the best for close-up food photos!

In my opinion, there is nothing better on a cold, winter day than a steaming bowl of soup. This particular one was perfectly satisfying! I was looking for a heartier soup to share with friends and this one did not disappoint. I knew I wanted to try it the moment I saw it on Brown Eyed Baker, but lost track of it until she recently re-listed it as a favorite for the previous year. I adjusted the seasoning a bit for my family's taste, but otherwise followed her recipe as listed. Brown Eyed Baker did suggest using italian sausage in place of regular ground beef, and I am so glad that I followed her advice. The sausage was a perfect addition to the soup and is definitely the only way that I would make it from now on. When paired with a fresh, crusty bread, this soup makes a perfect winter meal.

Pasta Fagioli

2 tablespoons butter, divided

1 package sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

½ large (or 1 medium) onion. finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 carrots, thinly sliced

4 stalks celery, thinly sliced

28 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can white cannelini beans, drained and rinsed

64 oz. beef broth

28 ounce can tomato sauce

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

4 oz. small dry pasta (Ditalini was recommended but I had a difficult time locating it)

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large stockpot over medium high heat, and brown the sausage, crumbling it as it cooks. Once brown, remove sausage from pot with a slotted spoon and discard any grease that remains in the pot. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in the same pot, and add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery, and saute over medium heat until vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Add sausage back to the pot, add the can of diced tomatoes (do not drain), stir briefly, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the beans, and add the beef broth and tomato sauce. Add in all of the seasonings, stir well, turn the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it boils, turn down to low heat, cover, and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Add the dry pasta and continue to simmer on low for another 30 minutes. Serve with your favorite bread or crackers.

Source: Brown Eyed Baker