Pasta E Fagioli Soup

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can cannellini beans (or white kidney beans), drained and rinsed
• 1 (26 oz) container beef stock (or 3 cups)
• 1 (25 oz) jar spaghetti sauce
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• salt to taste, about 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 cup ditalini pasta (or your favorite pasta shape)

Brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease. Add all the other ingredients to the slow cooker (except for pasta) and stir. Set slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. During the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, add in the pasta and stir.

Cook's Notes: Pasta likes to absorb a lot of the liquid so if you like your soup a bit more soupy, be prepared to have an extra can of beef broth handy. You can add it in towards the end.