[unabashedly uncorked: your daily dose of EPH]

I was catching up on a little online reading yesterady [blog browsing you could call it] and happened across Emily’s version of pasta y fagioli soup. And being a rainy Wednesday evening, I thought last night would be the perfect time to try this hearty meal.

Y’all, I could have licked my bowl clean!

In fact- I did [don’t judge]. And my husband that doesn’t quite love soup in the same manner I do went back for a second bowl. “You gave me a tiny serving” he said.

[truth be told— his bowl was filled to the brim]

Lightened-Up Pasta y Fagioli

The players:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 6-9 ozs. hot turkey or chicken Italian sausage (I used chicken); casings removed
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (we like our food on the spicy side- this can be omitted if you aren’t a fan of heat)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons bottled minced garlic
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups organic, low-sodium chicken broth (Pacific is my favorite)
• 1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce 
• 1 cup uncooked small pasta (about 4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup Italian cheese, divided 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano (I used Mexican oregano)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt 
• 3/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans; drained and rinsed

The play-by-play:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and garlic; sauté 2 minutes or until browned, stir to crumble sausage. Add water, broth, and tomato sauce; bring to a boil. Stir in pasta, a small handful of cheese, oregano, salt, pepper, and beans; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 8 minutes or until pasta is done. Let stand 5 minutes; sprinkle with cheese.

[I also think it would be yummy to add-in a serving of fresh spinach and let it wilt into the soup before serving]

serving size: 1 cup  | calories per serving: 353 | protein: 20.5g | fiber 4.5g | photo via