Copycat Cooking: Olive Garden's Pasta e Fagioli

I'm a home-cooking convert. To be specific, I used to live for eating out all the time in restaurants. Post-college and now, living on my own, I've begun to see the awesome that is cooking at home. It's cheaper, healthier, and usually way better tasting than anything I get in a restaurant.


That being said, I still have some favorite dishes that I like to eat out for. Hugo's in Studio City's Mac n Cheese, Cheesecake Factory cheesecake, and Olive Garden (for a guilty-pleasure pasta meal).


However, I've also discovered a great recipe or two for Copycat Cooking. There are ton of wonderful recipes referred to as "copycat" or "clone" for many of your favorites around the internet.


Tonight, check out a fantastic recipe for Olive Garden's Pasta e Fagioli that makes a lovely crock pot meal that lasts for days. I personally think it rivals, if not outshines, the Olive Garden's take on it. (And to boot, it's way cheaper than a trip to the place where everyone is family).


Copycat Pasta e Fagioli
excerpted from Recipezaar, adjusted by me


Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 3 carrots chopped
  
• 1 onion, diced
• 4-5 stalks celery, diced
• 2 cans diced canned tomatoes
• 2 cans red kidney beans
• 2 cans white kidney beans
• 2 cans of beef stock
  
• 3 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon of salt
  
• 3 teaspoons garlic powders 
• 2 1/2 teaspoons pepper
• 5 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
• 1 1/2 jars Classico Tomato & Basil Sauce
  
• 1 lb of shell noodles (or any other shape you'd like)
• Fresh parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
  

 Directions

•  Cook up all the ground beef
•  Mix all the ingredients above (except for the noodles) in a large crock pot. Add ground beef, stir, and set to "Low" for at least 5-6 hours.
• 15 minutes before you're ready to eat, cook 1 lb of shell noodles.
• To serve, place amount of noodles desired in your soup bowl. Add soup on top of noodles. Top soup/noodles with delicious, freshly grated parmesan!
• Refrigerate or freeze leftovers (there will be a lot).
  

Mangia!