Baby, Its Cold Outside!!

Not sure if you've been outside recently, but I walked down the street to my favorite sandwich place to grab something quick for lunch, and seriously contemplated not returning to work for fear that my nose and ears would LITERALLY freeze off! Its cold out there, and unless you are like me and are heading to the Dominican Republic in a week (yes, I'm rubbing it in!!), its not going to warm up any time soon. I tried this recipe towards the beginning of spring and have yet to make it again, simply because I forgot I had it. Its a copycat of the Olive Garden's "Pasta E Fagioli" soup, and its pretty great. Makes a ton, too.. so you'll definitely have lunch the next day!

Pasta E Fagioli

- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped celery*
- 1/4 cup chopped carrots*
- 3 or more cloves minced garlic (I use 5, but I really like garlic!)
- 1 large can diced tomatoes and their juice
- 32 oz. (one box) beef stock or broth
- 12 oz. water
- 28 oz. (one jar) spaghetti sauce
- 1 cup each of red and white kidney beans
- 3/4 teaspoon tabasco sauce
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon pepper (more or less, to taste. I also added some red pepper flake for more bite)
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 box any kind of small pasta, uncooked (I like the little tubes, like minestrone noodles)

* great tip for the carrots and celery: if you aren't the kind of person that regularly has these on hand, check out the deli section of your grocery store, by the salads. Ours (HyVee) always has a sandwich bag filled with carrots and celery for a fraction of the price of a full bag of each

- brown ground beef in oil in a large stockpot
- add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic; saute until tender
- add tomatoes and their juice, simmer for 5-10 minutes
- add beef stock, water, spaghetti sauce, beans, tabasco and seasonings. mix well to incorporate
- add noodles, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes stirring occasionally as the noodles will cook in the broth and may stick to the bottom of your pot
- we served this topped with grated parmesan cheese and garlic breadsticks.