Pasta Fagioli

I would call this a recipe makeover but all I did was adapt an already light recipe to suit my taste (not turn a decadent recipe into something light). Pronounced by many Italian Americans as pasta "fa-ZOOL", this is one of those recipes that will fill you up and keep you full all afternoon. It is 7 WW points per cup, but one cup is all you need to feel full and satisfied. With a salad you might feel hungry again in a little while. You can probably lighten up the recipe even more but for this time I made it the way I have in the past. It is very thick, bordering on a stew more than a soup so with just a little more broth or water you can stretch the recipe to feed more which would make the calories less per serving. I really enjoy this soup and plan to eat the rest of the pot as lunches for the entire week!

Pasta Fagioli (adapted from Cooking Light) Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage
1 1/2 tbsp bottled minced garlic
1 cup water
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
4 oz. uncooked pipette pasta
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese, divided
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can navy beans, drained and rinsed
Dried parsley
Crushed red pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add sausage and garlic; saute 2 minutes or until browned, stir-ring to crumble.
3. Add water, broth, and tomato sauce; bring to a boil.
   
4. Stir in pasta, 1/4 cup cheese, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and beans; bring to a boil.
   
5. Reduce heat, and simmer for 8 minutes or until pasta is done. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Garnish each serving with parsley and red pepper.