Copycat Pasta e Fagioli from Olive Garden

 I thought I would share my own version of this soup after having to tweak this recipe a lot. I subbed many ingredients with their lower sodium counterpart and used ground turkey instead of ground beef.  So this is a slightly healthier option. And my kids loved it!

 Copycat Pasta e Fagioli (from Olive Garden)

• 1 lb. ground beef or turkey
• 1 small onion, diced (you could use a 1 TBSP dried onion flakes)
• 1 large carrot,  chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
•  1  Low Sodium 14.5 oz. canned diced tomatoes
• 1 15-oz. can red kidney beans (w/ liquid)
• 1 15-oz. can Great Northern Beans (w/ liquid)
• 1 cup of spaghetti sauce)
• 1 cup low sodium beef broth
• 1 T. white vinegar
• 1 ½ t. salt
• 1 t. dried oregano
• 1 t. dried basil
• ½ t. pepper
• ½ t. dried thyme
• ½ lb. Ditali pasta (I have also used small shells since it is what I had in the cabinet)

1.  Brown the ground turkey and drain if any grease (I used super lean turkey so I just had to blot)

2. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and saute for 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

3. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring often.

4. At 50 minutes into simmer time, in separate pot cook the pasta according to package directions, until al dente. Do not add to soon or pasta will soak up all the liquid.

5. Simmer for 5 more minutes and serve.  Top with Parmesan cheese to serve.