PASTA E FAGIOLI SOUP

By Kathy Pettey Ann Packer

Ingredients

1 lbground beef

1small onion, diced (1 cup)

2cloves garlic, minced

1large carrot, julienne (1 cup)

3stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)

214.5-ounce cans tomatoes

115-ounce can kidney bean (with Liquid)

115-ounce can great northern bean (with Liquid)

1/2 poundditali pasta

1/2 teaspoondried thyme

1/2 teaspoonbasil

1/2 teaspoonoregano

1 tablespoonsalt

1 tablespoonwhite vinegar (optional)

112-ounce can V-8 juice

1large can (64 ounces) tomato juice

Instructions

Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan and drain off the fat. Add the onions, carrot, celery and garlic and sauté over medium heat. About 50 minutes to 2 hours you can simmer the ingredients, except pasta, in 4 to 5 quarts of water. Cook pasta al dente. Drain and soak it in boiling water just until the pasta turns out very tender. Add the remaining ingredients into the soup and serve. This recipe does not soak black beans. I also add a can of fresh herbs to make it a great recipe to share. Yummy leftovers!!

Note: Note: I use fresh herbs also. This goes a long way and turns out very good.