Make it to the Moon: Italian Pasta Soup

This is my version of this soup! If you would prefer to do this soup on the stove, check out the original recipe here.

Of course I forgot one ingredient in the picture... The jar of minced garlic was sitting comfortably in the fridge when I took this picture.

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups carrots, diced
2 cups celery, diced (5-6 stalks)
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 Tbsp garlic, minced
28 oz can reduced-sodium diced tomatoes
28 oz can tomato sauce
32 oz reduced-sodium beef broth
15 oz can kidney beans, drained + rinsed
15 oz can northern beans, drained + rinsed
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
8 oz ditalini pasta

1. Brown the turkey burger (either in a pan or in the microwave), strain the grease, and layer in the bottom of your crock-pot.

2. Add carrots, celery, green peppers, and onions.

3. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef broth.

4. Add Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper.

5. Mix!

6. 6 hours on LOW! I do not like my veggies mushy, but if you do... Cook on low for 8 hours.

7. Drain and rinse your beans.

8. Add beans to slow cooker and cook on LOW for another hour.

I am crazy cautious about portion control mainly because I have a tendency to over-indulge. The next three steps I did for myself and also for anyone that ever plans to replicate this recipe. It looks like a pain in the butt, but you don't need to do it because I've included all measurements for you!

9. If you plan to freeze any, I suggest portioning out your freezer batches before you add pasta. I'm not a fan of the texture of pasta that has been frozen, but if you don't mind then don't bother with this step!
17.5 cups BEFORE pasta!!!
14 Servings = 1.25 cups BEFORE pasta