Sunday has become my day to cook and prepare meals for part of the week. My goal to be healthier has involved eating out less and much less fast food. I usually start early in the day and cut up vegetables for my dishes. I start one meal in the crock pot and simmer all day. I put the cut up vegetables in the refrigerator. I go swimming on Sunday’s and so when I get back, I simply add my cut up vegetables to whatever recipe I start in the oven or stove top. I end up with two to three meals that we can quickly re-heat throughout the week. This has saved me a bunch of time, money, and my health. Today I am making Pasta e Fagioli. I got this recipe off of weight watchers several years ago. It came from a weight watchers member Melanie who lost 49 pounds and decided to make a healthy version of this soup. Its’s delicious, full of protein and good vitamins. Hope you enjoy.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp canola oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 medium carrot chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 14 ½ oz can of diced tomatoes
- 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ oz uncooked pasta, small shells variety about ½ cup
- 15 ½ oz canned great northern beans, rinsed and drained
- 3 Tbsp grated Parmesan Cheese
- ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
Instructions:
Heat oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Stir in the chili powder, cook 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are softened and the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the broth and pasta, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the pasta is tender and the soup thickens slightly about 8 minutes. Add the beans and heat through. Remove from the heat, then sprinkle with the cheese and pepper.
Feel free to mix it up a bit and experiment. I use the Italian diced tomatoes in my recipe and also add a little Italian seasoning when I’m cooking the vegetables and meat. I also add a can of red kidney beans. I do not add the cheese to the final product. I let others choose how much cheese to use and I offer Parmesan/Romano cheese blend. Have fun with healthy eating.