Below is the Pasta Fagioli Recipe. This recipe is awesome for cold days inside, large casual parties, and great for freezing. Kids love the Ditalini! Mainly because they are the perfect size for rings on their little fingers...makes eating a fun adventure! Make sure you have a great crusty Italian bread on hand and some red wine. All you vegos out there, this is an easy recipe to cut the meat from. You can always just eliminate the meat or replace it with chopped eggplant or zucchini.
1 pound Italian sausage (mild or spicy)
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
1 large carrot, julienned (1 cup)
3 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans (with liquid)
1 15-ounce can great northern beans (with liquid)
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 12-ounce can V-8 juice (have extra cans on hand in case you need to thin it out a bit, usually thickens as it sits)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 pound (1/2 pkg.) ditali pasta
1. Brown the ground sausage in a large saucepan or pot over medium heat. Drain off most of the fat.
2. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute for 10 minutes.
3. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.
4. About 50 minutes into the simmering, cook the pasta in 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of boiling water over high heat. Cook for 10 minutes or just until pasta is al dente, or slightly tough. Drain.
5. Add the pasta to the large pot of soup. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes more and serve.
