Recipe-of-the-month

Pasta Fagioli Soup
by Suzanne Marshall

Makes 9 quarts of soup:

3 tsp. oil
2 lbs. ground beef
2 cups carrots, slivered
1 ½ cups chopped onions
2 cups diced celery
2 large cans diced tomatoes
2 regular cans red kidney beans
2 regular cans white beans
88 oz beef broth
3 tsp. oregano
2 ½ tsp. pepper
5 tsp. fresh chopped parsley
1 ½ tsp. Tabasco sauce
48 oz spaghetti sauce (I use Hunts)
1 cup dry small pasta

Saute ground beef until it starts to brown. Add onions, carrots, celery and tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain and rise beans and add to the pot. Add beef stock, oregano, pepper, Tabasco, spaghetti sauce and pasta. Simmer until celery and carrots are tender, about 45 minutes.

Makes 9 quarts of soup. Cut it in half for about 5 quarts, or cut the recipe into quarters for a smaller family. I cut it in half and have enough for a couple of meals and some to give away, and some to freeze in containers for lunches.