Soup season is upon us! The cold and rainy weather is a perfect reason to make this warm and hearty soup. It’s filling and keeps well in the fridge in case you’d like to meal prep it, while being packed with flavor. I’ve been making it for years and look forward to it every time soup season comes around.
Pasta e Fagioli Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 3 (8 oz) cans of tomato sauce
- 1 32 oz carton of low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 (15 oz) can of fire-roasted, diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup dried ditalini pasta
- 1 (15 oz) can of dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can of white beans (you can use great northern beans or cannellini), drained and rinsed
- Shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese
- Parsley, minced
Instructions
- In a large pot, over medium-high heat, crumble in the ground beef, stirring occasionally until cooked through. If you are using lean ground beef you may need to add a little olive oil to the pot.
- Drain the fat from the ground beef and transfer the beef to a plate and set aside.
- To the same pot add 1 tbsp of olive oil and add the onions, carrots and celery. Sauté over medium-high heat until tender (about 6-7 minutes), add the minced garlic and sauté for an additional minute until fragrant.
- Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, oregano, thyme, marjoram and cooked beef. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and let it simmer, stirring now and again, until veggies are soft (about 15-20 minutes).
- Meanwhile, cook the ditalini pasta (al dente) according to the directions on the package.
- Add the cooked pasta* and beans to the soup and let it cook for a minute to warm through.
Notes
If you don’t plan on serving and eating all of the soup right away, I recommend adding the pasta to individual servings. This is what I do if I plan on eating it throughout the week. This helps to avoid the pasta getting soggy and absorbing too much broth.
Enjoy!
