Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli
By: Angela LeMoine
Published: Thursday, September 12, 2013 - 6:44am

Ingredients




1 small onion, small dice
2 celery stalks, small dice
2 carrots, peeled and small dice
1- 28 oz can diced tomato
3 garlic cloves, sliced
10 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf
2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper
Small pasta of choice- I used whole grain elbows

Preparation

1 Start by prepping all your veggies and getting everything diced. 2 Place everything into the slow cooker, set to low for 6 hours. For the last hour/ hour and a half I switch it to high to finish off. By the end of the 6 hours the color will have deepened and the veggies will be perfectly tender. 3 I add the cooked pasta to the individual bowls then pour the soup over top. If you add the pasta directly to the pot it will turn to mush.

About

Pasta e Fagioli simply means pasta and beans. This soup is really easy to make and is packed with vitamins from all the veggies and it makes me think of Grandma. Soups are so great because you can make a huge batch and freeze half for another day and they are generally really inexpensive!
If you can make your own broth trust me this soup will taste even more amazing!! The flavors really cannot compare to any store bought broth. Heres how... buy a cooked rotisserie chicken, eat for dinner one night then take whats left, throw into a big pot of water with some onion, celery, carrots, a bay leaf, tomato paste, garlic, salt and pepper. Simmer away for 4 hours. Strain all the chicken and veggies out. Freeze in smaller portions once cooled.