Hot Italian Sausage Pasta Fagioli
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup, Italian
- Cuisine: Dinner
Description
My first trimester of pregnancy many, many, many years ago, I had several cravings. One was tomatoes with mozzarella. Another was a donut from Dunkin’ Donuts ~ unfortunately for that one, I lived in Boulder, CO and at that time, there was no Dunkin’ Donuts. And the third big craving was pasta fagioli. Whether it was Olive Garden’s pasta fagioli, or the local Italian delicatessen, it didn’t matter. I just wanted a bowl of pasta fagioli!
Honestly, I think it was because I was a smoker when I found out I was pregnant. Smoking makes it harder for the body to absorb Vitamin C. So, after quitting smoking, I think my body was just craving all the nutrients I had depleted it of with my bad habit. Besides the craving for a donut, there is obviously a ton of vitamins in tomatoes with mozzarella and in pasta fagioli!
Pasta fagioli recipes vary by person and by taste. For example, some people load up on a ton of beans in their soup. I’m the type that loves the flavor of beans but not a huge fan of their texture, so I use less beans. It’s all in your personal preference!
I shook things up in this recipe by replacing ground beef with Italian hot sausage. It makes such a huge difference in the pop of flavor with each bite. Adding hot sausage in lieu of ground beef in a lot of recipes really helps to jazz them up! Take my penne vodka recipe, for example. Using hot sausage instead of traditional ground beef makes such a HUGE difference in the flavor profile. Don’t let the “hot” deter you. It’s not mouth on fire hot. It just adds a nice little kick to the dish.
The other thing that adds a bit more flavor to this soup is letting it cook with a Parmesan rind. The flavor of the Parmesan fuses into the broth and it’s just delicious! I like to add in the thyme leaves at the end. Rather than infusing their flavor into the broth, they retain their freshness in each bite. Try it and see what you think! If you don’t like it, you can add it in with the bay leaves, basil, and oregano. But I really think it’s worth trying it!
With the pasta, I give a range of 8 to 16 ounces. I used a full box because we our pasta people and love it loaded up! But, if you want more broth to noodle ratio, use only half a box. It’s up to you! This soup does make great leftovers but you may need to add additional chicken stock when reheating.
This is great with some homemade crusty bread! I’ve discovered the secret to a great loaf of bread, so I’ll have to share that with you soon! Just look how pretty that loaf is!
Enjoy!
Ingredients
16 oz hot sausage, removed from casings
1 cup sweet onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup celery, cut into bite size pieces
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 to 2 cups kale, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 TB fresh thyme
2 tsps dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken stock
1 can diced tomatoes
parmesan rind
8 oz to 16 oz ditilini pasta (depending on how much pasta you want)
2 cups reserved pasta water
Instructions
Cook the ditilini according to the package, reserving 2 cups of pasta water before draining and rinsing with cold water.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook the hot sausage over medium heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook 8 minutes, or until just starting to soften. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, cannelini beans, diced tomatoes, basil, oregano, bay leaves, and parmesan rind, stirring to combine. Bring to a simmer and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let the soup simmer on medium low for 30 minutes. In the last 5 minutes, add the kale and cook until wilted.
Remove the bay leaves and parmesan rind. Stir in the pasta and thyme. Dish the soup into bowls and serve immediately!
Keywords: pasta fagioli, pasta e fagioli, hot sausage pasta fagioli, pasta fagioli with kale, hot sausage pasta fagioli with kale, Olive Garden pasta fagioli
