Pasta e Fagioli Soup

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups ditalini pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground spicy Italian sausage
• 1 small yellow onion diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 carrots peeled and diced
• 1 stalk celery diced
• 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce no salt added
• 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 15 ounce can red kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 1 15 ounce can Great Northern beans drained and rinsed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add olive olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add ground Italian sausage and cook without moving for about one minute. Crumble it using a wooden spoon and continue cooking until browned, about 3-5 minutes. If needed, drain excess fat.

2. Push cooked sausage to one side of the pot, so it covers only half of the bottom of the pot or Dutch oven. Add onion and garlic to the other half and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender.

3. Stir to combine the browned sausage with the onion and garlic.

4. Add chopped carrots, celery, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir and cook until tender, for about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Add dried basil, dried Italian seasoning, dried thyme, dried rosemary and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.

6. Add tomato sauce, chicken broth and drained and rinsed beans. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

7. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. If needed, add more water, one cup at a time.

8. In the meantime, add water a large pot over medium-high heat, season with salt. Bring to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain well, toss with a bit of olive oil and set aside.

9. Once vegetables are tender, stir in pasta until heated through.

10. Garnish with parsley if desired, and serve immediately.