Thursday, December 12, 2013

Copycat Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli Soup


I am OBSESSED with Olive Garden... and before you jump all over me with your "it's not real Italian food blah blah" I KNOW THAT! That doesn't mean it doesn't explode with deliciousness all over the inside of my mouth, so get off me. Sorry. Rant over. Anyway, I found about 50 versions of this recipe all over the internet and after some tweaking, this is the one I've found most successful. Now I'm gonna go eat it...


Ingredients

  • 1 c. ditalini pasta, uncooked
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil 
  • 2 medium sized carrots
  • 3 celery stalks
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 3 (8oz) cans of tomato sauce
  • 3 c. beef broth
  • 1 c. water
  • 1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 (15oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15oz) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed 
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 3/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • romano or parmesan cheese to garnish


How To Cook It

  • brown beef in large saucepan over med/high heat
  • pour beef (and fat) into a bowl and set aside
  • heat olive oil in the same large sauce pan, saute the carrots, celery and onion over med/high heat until tender, about 4 minutes
  • add garlic and saute 1 minute longer
  • reduce heat to low
  • add tomato sauce, beef broth, water, canned tomatoes, sugar, all the spices, and cooked beef
  • season with salt and pepper t taste
  • cover with a lid and allow to simmer for 30 minutes, stir occasionally
  • make sure veggies are soft 
  • while soup is simmering, prepare the ditalini pasta according to package directions to al dente
  • add cooked and drained pasta to soup
  • add beans to soup 
  • allow to cook 5 more minutes until the beans are heated through
  • serve with cheese on top


1 comment:

  1. Thanks for posting this! I've giving this a try today! I browned the meat and threw everything in the crockpot. Here's hoping it turns out just as delicious! :)

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