Pasta e Fagioli

This recipe is one of my very favorites. Serves a small army (or gives lots of leftovers, which freeze very well) is surprisingly healthy, and easy to make.

I reverse-engineered this recipe from the Olive Garden's dish of the same name. When Rebecca was pregnant with Sydney she craved pasta e fagioli constantly, and I'm not really a big fan of Olive Garden. After several long waits for a table at the nearest franchise I said to myself 'surely I can figure out how to cook a soup' and after a couple of tries, I came up with this.

Hardware:
Large 12-quart stock pot with lid
cutting board
chef's knife
colander
garlic press (optional)

Software:
1lb ground beef
several stalks celery
several cloves of garlic
1 medium onion
1.5 cups matchsticked carrots (I buy them pre-cut in a bag)
1 cup orzo pasta
2 cans red kidney beans
1 large 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 jar marinara pasta sauce
1 quart beef broth
1 teaspoon tabasco pepper sauce (optional)
3 bay leaves
several pinches each dried basil and thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Dice the onion and celery, crush or mince the garlic, set aside. Pour a splash of oil in your stockpot and add the beef, garlic, salt, pepper. Brown over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion, carrot and continue cooking until slightly softened.

Drain and rinse the beans in a colander. Drain the tomatoes. Add beans, tomatoes, pasta, beef broth, and pasta sauce to the pot, stir to combine. Add bay leaves, tabasco sauce, other spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Serves 6-8 adults as a standalone dish, or serve as a soup course before your favorite Italian entree.

Surprisingly, a 1.5 cup (12oz) bowl of this only has about 300 calories, and it is VERY filling.