Big Weather's Big Recipe: Fagioli Soup

My wife and I went to the Midwest last week to visit our parents. I couldn't convince my mom to go on camera (but she did send me some new recipes to share along the way). I did talk my Father-in-law, Richard, into giving me his fagioli soup recipe. It's delish and the longer it cooks, the better it gets! So let's get to it...

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef

2 mild Italian sausage links

1/2 Box of cooked Ditali pasta

1 T of Butter

1 onion, small & diced

1 large carrot julienned

4 stalks celery - chopped

1 1/2 tsp salt

5 garlic cloves - minced

1 tsp Oregano

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp thyme

1/8 tsp fennel seeds

dash soy sauce

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1T red wine

2 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (15 oz.) can beef consommé

5 (5.5 oz.) cans V-8 juice

1 (15 oz.) can Red kidney beans - use liquid

1 (15 oz.) can Great Northern beans - use liquid

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

Preparation:

1. Brown beef and sausage.

2. Drain off fat and set meats aside.

3. Add butter, onion, carrot, celery, garlic to same pan and sauté for about 7 minutes.

4. Add remaining ingredients except the pasta and simmer for at least one hour, stirring occasionally.

5. Cook pasta and add just before serving.

That's it. He said he gets more requests for this than any other recipe he makes. We added a little fresh ground parmesan on top and it was so good. A lot of prep work, but if you have a big enough soup pot, it becomes a 2 pot meal. And if you put it in the fridge overnight and reheat, it's even better. Pro tip: Richard tells me that you should keep the pasta separate in the fridge. If you put it in the soup it gets too mushy overnight.

The V-8 really gives it a great twist. Though summer isn't always soup season, if you make this one, you won't be disappointed. Thanks again to my father-in-law. Enjoy!