pasta e fagioli soup -easily convert to vegetarian

Name: Pasta e Fagioli Soup -easily convert to vegetarian
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tablespoon(s) olive oil, divided; 1 - 2 pound(s) lean ground beef (or all or 1/2 italian sausage, casings removed) (if making vegetarian, omit meat and add 1 or 2 more cans of beans, below); 1 1/2 cup(s) onion (about 1 medium); 1 cup(s) shredded carrots (about 3 medium); 1 cup(s) diced celery (about 3 stalks); 3 clove(s) minced garlic (about 1 tbs); 3 8-oz can(s) tomato sauce (optional 16 - 24 ozs); 2 14.5-oz can(s) low sodium chicken broth (optional 24 - 32 oz vegetable, beef, or chicken stock); 1/2 cup(s) water or broth (more as desired); 1 15-oz can(s) diced tomatoes (optional, up to 28 oz); 2 tablespoon(s) granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon(s) dried oregano (or omit the other herbs and add 1 tbs oregano); 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) dried basil; 3/4 teaspoon(s) dried thyme; 1/2 teaspoon(s) dried marjoram; To taste - salt and ground black pepper; 8 ounce(s) dry ditalini pasta; 1 15-oz can(s) dark red kidney beans, drained & rinsed; 1 15-oz can(s) great northern beans, drained & rinsed; 1 tablespoon(s) white vinegar (optional); ## FOR SERVING; To taste finely shredded romano or parmesan cheese; 3 tablespoon(s) minced fresh parsley

2 Pinches

Maureen Martin

Independence, MO

Updated on Jun 29, 2019

Easily converted to vegetarian by swapping out meat with extra beans, and changing the meat broth to vegetable broth. Prep time depends on your chopping skills. I'm slow, so it takes me longer. I used a shorter time to estimate this recipe for normal people. Cook time can be as short as 20 minutes (not including browning the meat and sauteeing the veg which I included in Prep Time), as listed, but as long as 4 hours if desired. Inspired by several copycat Olive Garden recipes.

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prep time 30 Min

cook time 25 Min

method Stove Top

yield 6 - 8

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 - 2 pounds lean ground beef (or all or 1/2 italian sausage, casings removed) (if making vegetarian, omit meat and add 1 or 2 more cans of beans, below)
1 1/2 cups onion (about 1 medium)
1 cup shredded carrots (about 3 medium)
1 cup diced celery (about 3 stalks)
3 cloves minced garlic (about 1 tbs)
3 8-oz cans tomato sauce (optional 16 - 24 ozs)
2 14.5-oz cans low sodium chicken broth (optional 24 - 32 oz vegetable, beef, or chicken stock)
1/2 cup water or broth (more as desired)
1 15-oz cans diced tomatoes (optional, up to 28 oz)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano (or omit the other herbs and add 1 tbs oregano)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
To taste - salt and ground black pepper
8 ounces dry ditalini pasta
1 15-oz cans dark red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 15-oz cans great northern beans, drained & rinsed
1 tablespoon white vinegar (optional)
FOR SERVING
To taste finely shredded romano or parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

How To Make pasta e fagioli soup -easily convert to vegetarian

Step 1

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a stock pot over medium high heat. Crumble in ground beef and/or sausage (if using) and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through. (I like to make sure it has some caramelization [toasty brownness!] for extra flavor, which takes a little longer.)

Step 2

Drain fat from meat then transfer to a plate and set aside. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil in same pot.
Step 3

Add onions, carrots, and celery to pot. Saute over medium-high heat until tender about 7 minutes, then add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
Step 4

Add chicken or beef broth/stock, tomato sauce, water, canned tomatoes, sugar, herbs, and cooked meat, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low, cover with lid and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft, about 20 minutes. (Or longer if desired: one recipe said cook for 1 hour; another said 4 - 5 hours)
Step 6

About 15 minutes before soup is done (above), prepare ditalini pasta according to package directions (including drain and rinse), cooking to al dente (very firm, but not raw). (Will soften the longer it is left in the soup).
Step 7

Add cooked and drained pasta to soup (see NOTE below) along with vinegar and both types of beans. Thin with a little more broth or water if desired. Stir gently but thoroughly.
Step 8

Allow to cook 2 minutes longer to heat beans through. Stir in parsley (or sprinkle on top of individual bowls) and serve warm with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.
Step 9

NOTE If you don't plan to eat all the soup right away, consider adding the cooked pasta to individual servings instead of the whole pot. Otherwise the pasta absorbs too much liquid and gets mushy over time. Divide pasta by 6 or 8, depending on number of servings you plan to make.
Step 10

VEGETARIAN OPTION For a vegetarian conversion, you can substitute another can or two or beans (drained and rinsed) for the ground meat, and vegetable broth for the meat broth.
Step 11

GUILTY SECRET I buy 75% - 80% lean ground beef and omit the olive oil because I like the flavor better. I tip the pot to remove the meat, leaving the beef fat behind to saute the veg.
Step 12

SUBSTITUTING FRESH HERBS Typically, use three times more fresh herbs than dry (with a few exceptions, but not in this recipe), so 1 tsp of dry = 1 TBS fresh.
Last Step: Don't forget to share! Post a picture of your finished recipe here and on your favorite social network. Don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes!

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