Pasta Fagioli

I got this recipe off of Gina's Weight Watcher Recipe Blog. I made this soup tonight, and it was absolutely delicious! This is a definite keeper! Unlike the one from Olive Garden, this is meatless. You could add a pound of ground meat for variety if you'd like, but honestly, it was very hearty with the beans and absolutely delicious. I didn't feel like I was missing the meat at all. I didn't realize until I was making this that I was out of parsley, so I instead added 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning and omitted the parsley and oregano. It was seasoned so perfectly, I think I wouldn't want to try it any other way. :-) You have to try this soup!

Servings: 5 servings • Total Time: 30 -40 minutes • WW Points: 6.4 ww points

Ingredients

• 1 tbs olive oil (optional)




• 1/2 onion, chopped (or 1 Tbsp dried minced onion)




• 3 cloves garlic, chopped




• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped




• 1 carrot, finely chopped or shredded




• 1 15 oz can cannellini beans, undrained




• 15 oz can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes




• 1 large bay leaf




• 1 tbsp basil




• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning (or 1 Tbsp parsley and 1 tsp oregano)




• 2 cans fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians) (I used 4 cups of water and 4 bouillon cubes)




• salt and pepper to taste




• 1-1/2 cups Ditalini pasta or other small pasta (I used macaroni)




• Grated Parmigiano or Romano (optional)

Directions



In a deep pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat... or if you are using dried minced onion like I did, omit the oil and just add the onion and garlic with the beans in the next step.
Blend the can of beans with one can water in electric blender until almost smooth.
Add blended beans to pan then add the can of tomato sauce, celery, carrots, chicken broth, basil, bay leaf, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Add 1 cup water and bring to slow boil. Let simmer for 20 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Add pasta and cook uncovered until pasta is al dente, according to pasta directions. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
Ladle soup into bowls and top with grated cheese (optional and extra ww points).

Crockpot: Add all ingredients except pasta to crockpot. Stir, cover, and cook on high 4-6 hours or high 8-10.  Turn crockpot on high and add pasta last 30 minutes of cooking.