Pasta E Fagioli

Wow!  Black Hawks fever has hit our great State big-time.  Congratulations to the Chicago Black Hawks Stanley Cup win!  Hurray!  Truth be told, I am not really a big sports fan but gosh once a city is involved in play-offs, I am all over it.  lol  Love the excitement around town even way out here, way north of the city of Chicago.  Now down to business.

Today let's make Pasta E Fagioli.  It is quick and easy but really very good.  I mix it up a little bit from the original recipe but I stayed pretty true to the Progresso soup recipe.  Okay so here goes:

Pasta E Fagioli

The Ingredients:

Brown the onion, garlic and hamburger in vegetable oil until juices run clear:

Drain and rinse cannellini beans:

Add remaining ingredients except for macaroni and the cheese:

Heat to boiling, then simmer:

Add macaroni, cook until tender:

Serve piping hot in bowl, top soup with cheese:

Ingredients:

1/4 pound ground beef (this is when I use up that little bit of left-over meat) opt.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 carton chicken broth (Progresso preferred your favorite brand is fine)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (dried is fine too)
1 teaspoon basil leaves, crushed
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni (4 ozs.)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:
In a 3 quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add hamburger (if using), garlic and onion, cook until juices run clear, drain.  Return meat, onion and garlic mixture to pot.

Add remaining ingredients except macaroni and cheese.  Heat to boiling.  Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove cover; increase heat to high.  Heat to boiling.  Reduce heat to medium.  Add macaroni; cook 10 to 15 minutes or until tender.  Sprinkle each serving with cheese. 

Note: If you have trouble finding the beans at your grocery store, check both the canned vegetable area as well as the area where the kidney beans are kept.  I have gotten them at our local grocery stores as well as Trader Joe's. 
Enjoy!

Evelyn