Pasta e Fagioli

I love this soup. James and I went to Strongstart at a local school this morning where we played with lots of toys, had a snack, read some books, sang songs and played in the gym. It was a great morning (Jonjon was at home with Nana). When we left the gym we were surprised to see it snowing! It didn't last and hardly stuck but it was so cold! I decided to make this soup for a warm hearty dinner. It is one of my favourites. This may not be a true Pasta E Fagioli as I use chickpeas and kidney beans instead of cannelini beans but I like the pop of the chickpeas. I served it with some dinner buns and couldn't be happier (or more stuffed).

Ingredients

• 4 carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 sweet basil Italian sausages, casings removed
• 1 small package (about half a pound) lean ground beef
• 1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 6-8 cups beef broth (I use a low sodium one)
• 1 can herb and garlic pasta sauce (I use a can of Thick and Rich pasta sauce, I love the taste, it adds a little more flavour than a can of tomato sauce)
• 1 tablespoon sundried tomato pesto (I use Classico brand)
• 3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6oz. small pasta (I use either ditalini or the small bowties)

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large pot. Add ground beef and sausge. Brown. Remove from pot, drain and set aside.

Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter. Add veggies. Cook until soft. Add meat and tomatoes, simmer 10 minutes. Add beans, broth, pasta sauce, and pesto. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Add pasta, simmer an additional 30 minutes.

Serve and enjoy. This soup would taste great with some fresh grated parmesan cheese.