Pasta e Fagioli

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
12 ounces sweet Italian sausage
1 rib celery, diced
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3/4 cup dry macaroni
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 to 4 cups chicken broth, or as needed
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
red pepper flakes to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3 cups chopped Swiss chard
1 (15-oz) can white beans, drained
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well and set aside.

2.Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add Italian sausage to the skillet and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat and set aside.  Coupons

3.Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the stockpot. Stir in garlic, onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.

4.Whisk in chicken broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme, Italian sausage and 1 cup water; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 10-15 minutes.

5.Stir in pasta and beans until heated through.

6.Serve immediately.

NOTE:
It’s not completely accurate to say this is my recipe for sausage pasta fazool since I’ve probably never made this the same way twice, but that’s just the kind of dish it is. In fact, I rarely even make it on purpose, but rather as a way to use up leftover meat. Regardless of what you use, this is classic Italian-American comfort food at its finest.