Pasta Fragioli

This is what I served for dinner at our Christmas party Saturday (Which by the way was so much fun). This is SO delicious! Seriously, you need to make it...you won't regret it! And to top it off it tastes just like Olive Garden's version.

Here's what you will need:

1 lb ground beef, browned and drained

1 Cup Carrots, chopped

2-3 celery stalks, chopped

1/2 Red or yellow onion, chopped

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can white beans, drained

1 jar spaghetti sauce

4 Cups beef broth or stock (I use one whole box of stock)

2 teaspoons Oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

A splash Tabasco sauce (the recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon but as much as I loved it, my family would not eat it. Now I do a splash or two and then add more to my bowl at the table. Everyone loves it that way.)

1/2 Cup dry pasta (I use the corkscrew ones and brake them in half)

Here's what you do:

*It can be made in the crockpot or the stove top. I tend to use the crockpot but have made it both ways.

*Dump everything but the pasta in a large pot.

*Cook until veggies are tender (in the crock I cook on high for 1-2 hours, then switch to low for 4-5 hours).

*When veggies are tender, add pasta, and bring soup to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until pasta is tender (in crock, switch to high, and let work it's magic for about an hour).

*Top with cheese and serve with hard rolls.

ENJOY!!!!

I got this recipe from the A Year of Crockpotting blog and of course tweaked it a bit. Some of her recipes are strange but every once in awhile I come across a keeper like this one.