Low-fat Low Cal Crock Pot Pasta Fagioli

Total Time: 9 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 9 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 lb sweet italian turkey sausage (bulk or removed from casings)
• 1 medium onion, diced small
• 1 cup dried great northern beans or 1 cup cranberry beans
• 3 large carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 cups small shell pasta (shells or ditalini)
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 3 -4 cups vegetable broth (i use fat free)
• 2 beef bouillon cubes (or vegetable)
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• freshly grated parmesan cheese (to garnish)

Recipe

• 1 soak beans overnight.
• 2 in the morning (or do this step the night before) brown the turkey sausage and the diced onion.
• 3 drain and rinse and put in the crock pot.
• 4 add the broth, beans, carrot, herbs, salt& pepper and crushed tomatoes.
• 5 cook on low for 9 hours.
• 6 half hour before you think it is done, bring a pot of water to boil and cook the pasta to al dente.
• 7 drain and rinse to cut down on the starch in your soup.
• 8 stir the tomato paste into the crock pot and then fold in the pasta.
• 9 cook for another 1/2 hour.
• 10 serve in nice bowls with a topping of freshly grated parmesan and maybe a sprig of basil.
• 11 enjoy!