Pasta Soup
Why I Love This Recipe
Ingredients You'll Need
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion -- chopped
2 stalks celery -- sliced
2 large carrots -- julienned
4 slices bacon -- chopped
1 pound hot Italian sausage -- crumbled
1 pound ground beef -- crumbled
2 cloves garlic -- minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup white wine
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon parsley -- chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon rosemary
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
14 ounces diced tomatoes
15 ounces Great northern beans
15 ounces red kidney beans
1 cup ditalini pasta
parmesan cheese -- grated
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Directions
In a very large soup pot, heat oil over medium-low heat. Stir in onion, celery, carrot, and a sprinkle each of salt and pepper. Cover pot and "sweat" vegetables until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove vegetables from pot and set aside.
Brown the bacon and then add the sausage and ground beef and cook meats ares no longer pink. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add vegetables back to pot along with broth, wine, dried spices, tomatoes, salt and lots of fresh ground pepper. Cover pot and simmer over low heat for one hour.
Uncover pot and increase temperature so mixture simmers without the lid. Stir in beans and simmer for another 30 minutes or to desired consistency. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente’ (still a little chewy) and rinse in cold water; stir into soup and turn off heat. *If it cooks too much after adding the pasta it will become over cooked and too soft. Serve with freshly grated or shaved Parmesan cheese.
*For thicker soup, puree half of the beans before adding to the soup
