Pasta E Fagioli Soup

I promised you this recipe a few days ago, but Thanksgiving got in the way. This is a copy cat recipe meant to taste like the Pasta E Fagioli from Olive Garden and I'd say it comes pretty darned close.
Now, my one disclaimer: This recipe is a soup recipe, but my picture will look more like stew because Superman and Buttercup like a LOT of pasta in their soup, so ours ends up having more of the broth absorbed by the pasta. Other than that, I follow this recipe and I encourage you to do the same. So, better late than never, here is the recipe for Pasta E Fagioli.

Pasta E Fagioli for the CrockPot
(Serves 12-14)

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef (I use one package of ground turkey - roughly 1.5 pounds)
1 onion , chopped
3 carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (16 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (16 ounce) can white kidney beans, drained
3 (10 ounce) cans beef stock
3 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons pepper
5 teaspoons parsley
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)
1 (20 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
8 ounces pasta

Directions:

1. Brown beef (turkey) in a skillet.

2. Drain fat from beef and add to crock pot with everything except pasta.

3. Cook on low 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours.

4. During last 30 min on high or 1 hour on low, add pasta.


Notes: I used a stock pot on the stove and simmered it on low all day.

Did you notice? There is nothing bad for you in this soup! It is like a garden in a bowl. A perfect soup for a cold day...try it...you won't be disappointed.