You’ll love, love, love this rich and hearty soup! It tastes very similar to the pasta e fagioli at Olive Garden. It’s one of the lowest-fat items on the Olive Garden menu, with 2.5 of fat per serving. Our recipe actually contains more calories than theirs does because we’ve added more beans and veggies. The skinny on 1 cup of soup is 156 calories, 2 grams fat and Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 4. So flavorful, this recipe makes a TON of soup to stock your freezer with. It’s great as a first course or double the serving size to 2 cups and it becomes a very filling main course soup. You’ll want to add this satisfying dish to your soup repertoire. It’s a keeper for sure…
Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cups onions, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (28 oz) tomatoes, diced
1 can (16 oz) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (16 oz) white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (16 oz) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
3 cans (10 oz) reduced-sodium beef broth
1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti, marinara, or pasta sauce, we used Prego’s Heart Smart
1 zucchini, chopped
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning blend
2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper or to taste
6 ounces whole wheat penne pasta
Grated Parmesan cheese to top each bowl with, optional
Preparation
1. Brown beef in a large soup pot. Drain in a colander in sink.
2. In the same pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir often.
3. Add the drained beef back to the pot. Stir in the canned tomatoes, beans, beef broth, spaghetti sauce, zucchini, water, Italian seasonings and pepper.
4. Bring soup up to a boil. Turn heat to a simmer, cover and let cook for 50 minutes.
5. Add pasta to the soup. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes longer until pasta is ready.
6. Ladle soup into a small bowl or cup. Top with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired
7. Makes 20 cups
Credit: Foodista