• Servings: 10
• 1 pound ground beef, 95% lean
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 29 ounces canned diced tomatoes
• 15 ounces canned kidney beans
• 15 ounces canned great northern beans
• 16 ounces tomato sauce
• 11 1/2 ounces V-8® vegetable juice
• 3 cups fat-free beef broth
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt, to taste
• 2 1/2 ounces whole wheat macaroni, elbow

1. Bring a large deep saucepan, half- filled with water, to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and follow directions on package until cooked al dente. Drain pasta and set aside.
2. While pasta is boiling, brown the ground beef in a nonstick saucepan over
3. medium-high heat. Once that is almost cooked through, add the garlic and
4. cook until the meat is completely browned. Add the onion, celery and
5. carrot to the beef mixture and let the ingredients cook together for about
6. 5 minutes.
7. Except for the pasta, add all remaining ingredients to the beef mixture, cover the saucepan and lower heat to simmer. Simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta and continue to simmer 15 minutes more.

If you love Olive Garden's Pasta e Fagioli, you must try this at-home version... all of the taste and flavor, much less fat and calories.