- Rachael Ray's non profit organization, Yum-o! - https://www.yum-o.org -

Italian Chili Soup



Ingredients


  • Salt
  • 1/2 box of ditalini pasta, or any short pasta, whole wheat or regular
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 celery ribs, diced
  • 1 cup carrots, grated
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 can white beans (15 ounces), undrained
  • 1 can kidney beans (15 ounces), undrained
  • 1 can petite diced tomatoes (28 ounces) with juice
  • 1 can tomato sauce (15 ounces)
  • 1 can vegetable juice cocktail (15 ounces), such as V-8 brand
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, for garnish


Directions


  1. Place a large pot of salted water over high heat for the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain.
  2. While the pasta water is coming to a boil, heat the EVOO in a large saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, season with salt and pepper and cook for 5-6 minutes, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon. When the meat is browned, add the celery, carrots, onion and garlic and cook for 10 minutes, or until the veggies lose some of their crunch. Add the garlic salt, basil, oregano and thyme and cook for a minute, then add the white beans, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, V-8 juice and vinegar. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the flavors come together.
  3. To serve, place some of the pasta in the bottom of a bowl. Ladle some chili soup on top and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Recipe courtesy of Yum-o! The Family Cookbook.