Turkey Pasta E Fagioli

Whether you call it Pasta E Fagioli (fazh-e-ohl-eh) or Pasta Fazool, this hearty soup hits the spot on a cold day. Pasta E Fagioli literally means pasta with beans, but this version includes ground turkey to make it a bit heartier. This recipe is actually a knock-off of Olive Garden's, but I did tweak it a bit (shocking, I know). It is originally from here. The Italian in me loves trying new versions of old classics and this was delizioso. It was oh-so-good and made plenty! I actually was able to freeze half of it for later, so this would be great if you're cooking for a crowd or looking to make some freezer meals.

Turkey Pasta E Fagioli
- 1 pound lean ground turkey breast

- 1 small sweet onion diced

- 3 carrots peeled and diced

- 3 stalks celery chopped

- 3 cloves garlic minced

- 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes and garlic

- 1 15-oz can cannellini beans drained

- 1 15-oz can great northern beans drained

- 1 15-oz can tomato sauce (I actually used about 3/4 of a jar of marinara, because that's what I had on hand and it was just fine).

- 1 tbsp white vinegar

- 1 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 tsp oregano

- 1 tsp basil

- 1/2 tsp black pepper

- 1/2 tsp thyme

- 1/2 pound ditali pasta (I actually couldn't find ditali, so I used ditalini. Same shape, just the smaller version).

Directions
1. Brown the ground turkey in a large pot over medium heat. Once cooked, drain and return to the pot.

2. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic and saute for 10 minutes.

3. Add remaining ingredients (except pasta), and simmer for 1 hour.

4. About 50 minutes into simmer time, cook the pasta in a separate pot in nicely salted water. Cook until slightly firmer than al dente as the pasta will continue to cook in the soup (about 6 minutes).

5. Add two ladles of the salted pasta water to the soup and then drain the pasta.

6. Add the pasta to the large pot of soup. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes and serve with freshly grated parmesan. (Honestly, I was out of parm and ended up using some shredded mozzarella.)

Enjoy!