Pasta e Fagioli (Olive Garden copycat)

For a person who has really never been that fond of soups, I have recently become obsessed.  Perhaps it is the bitter cold winter that we have been having, or perhaps I just realized that soups really aren't that hard to make (and they are very hard to mess up) and the homemade stuff is just SO GOOD!  Plus, you have total control over what goes in - how thick or thin you want it, how much salt you want, the veggies, the broth, the seasonings... I honestly don't know that I will ever buy a can of soup again.  This particular soup is supposed to be a copycat version of the Pasta e Fagioli at Olive Garden.  Personally, I cannot attest to how much it tastes like the restaurant version, as I have never had it there.  (Though, I would hazard a guess that this is better.)  But, I can say that my husband raved about it hours after dinner the first time I made it.  

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup ditalini pasta 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 
• 1 pound ground mild or spicy Italian sausage
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 onion, diced 
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced 
• 2 stalks celery, diced 
• 3-4 cups chicken or beef broth (I use chicken stock)
• 1 (16-ounce) can tomato sauce 
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes 
• 1 teaspoon dried basil 
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 
• 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1 (15-ounce) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed 

INSTRUCTIONS: 

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well and set aside. 
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add Italian sausage to the skillet and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, crumbling the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat and set aside. 
3. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the stockpot. Stir in garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. 
4. Whisk in 3 cups of broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme, reserved Italian sausage and 1 cup water; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 25-30 minutes. 
5. Stir in pasta and beans as well as an additional cup of broth (if a thinner soup is desired) and heat for an additional 5 minutes or until heated through.

Difficulty: medium to easy - just some chopping involved; nothing too hard

Time: about 45 minutes to 1 hour, not all of which is active time

Source:  Adapted from Cooking Classy 

White Chicken Chili

One of the highlights of this past summer for me was loading the kids into the car and heading on a not-quite-two-hour road trip to see one of my best friends.  The hours between us and life, in general, keep us from seeing each other more than once or twice a year these days.  But during that visit, she presented me with this amazing recipe and made me promise to try it.  The very next weekend, I did, despite the summer heat.  I have made it three times since and it is a huge hit with my family.  And every time I make it, I get to enjoy some good memories, too.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 rotisserie chicken, de-boned and diced
• 3 medium onions, diced (I used a large and medium)
• 3 tsp garlic, minced
• 3-4 cans great northern beans
• 2 (32 oz) chicken stock (by order of the recipe author, this must be stock and not broth)
• 1 (4 oz) can green chilis
• 3 tsp salt
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 3 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 cup whipping cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Saute garlic and onion in oil.
2. Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT for whipping cream.  Simmer 30-45 minutes
3. Add whipping cream (and some corn starch if you would like a thicker broth).  Simmer 5-10 minutes.
4. Garnish with shredded cheddar and sour cream, as desired.

Difficulty: easy

Time: 15 minutes prep, 35-55 minutes simmer

Source: one of my besties, Jen