for dinner tonight.

"olive garden" pasta fagioli soup = hot yumminess on a cold day

my whole house smelled wonderful today.
thanks to shannon who gave me this recipe.
she brought it to me a few days after i had sawyer.
perfect for these freezing cold days.

sawyer was a fan...as evidenced by this series of photos:

i usually will not post pictures of my children with yucky faces on principle.
it's just gross.
but he's just so darn cute i couldn't help it.
even if it's just for me. :)  sorry if this grosses you out.

i wish i could show you a picture of finley's face.
he was not a fan.
and was not happy with me for taking a picture of him crying.
of course after we forced him to taste it, (we're mean like that) he loved it.
it's the same routine every night.

okay so here's the recipe already.
go buy the stuff and make it.

1 pound lean ground beef, browned & drained

1/2 large red onion, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, sliced

2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (& juice)

1 can kidney beans, drained & rinsed

1 can white beans, drained & rinsed

4 cups beef broth

1 jar (16.5 oz) pasta sauce

2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup dry pasta, to add at the end of cooking time.

use your biggest crockpot, or cut the recipe in half, it makes a lot.

brown the meat & drain well.  let it cool a bit.

chop up the carrots, onion, & celery.  add to empty crock pot.

drain & rinse the beans, & add them.

add the whole cans of tomatoes & pasta sauce.

add the beef broth.

add the salt, pepper, & oregano.

stir in your meat.

cover & cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4.

when vegetables are tender, stir in the half cup of dry pasta (i used those tiny little circles)

cover & cook for another hour on low, or until the pasta is tender.

it will swell quite a bit.

serve w/ parmesan cheese if you have it.

i served it with a salad and this dressing. 
my boys l.o.v.e. this dressing.
finley would have preferred we just give him a bowl of dressing and called it good. Pin It