Recipe Review - I Love my Crockpot.

I love my Crockpot. Days are the best when we wearily drag ourselves into the house after a long day of work and are met with the aroma of dinner already cooked. Man, I love my Crockpot. Now that I'm back at work I'm using my Crockpot once a week or more. Last week I made a hobo meal of pinto beans and turkey kielbasa. I've discovered the best blog ever. Its crockpot365.blogspot.com (on my blog list). This woman vowed to use her Crockpot every day for a year a did. She blogged all of her recipes. Tonight I made Pasta Fagioli Soup. It was really really good. Here it is for all you fellow Crockpotters.

Pasta Fagioli Soup

--1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained (I used lean ground turkey)
--1/2 large red onion, chopped
--1 cup carrots, chopped
--2 celery stalks, sliced (I didn't use celery. I hate buying celery. I use 2 sticks and the rest turns to moosh in the fridge. Instead, I topped the whole thing off with torn up kale...about a cup).
--2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (and juice)
--1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
--1 can white beans, drained and rinsed (I used Garbanzo)
--4 cups beef broth
--1 jar (16.5 oz) pasta sauce (I used Hunt's because its cheap)
--2 tsp oregano
--1 T Tabasco sauce
--1/2 tsp salt
--1/4 tsp black pepper
--1/2 cup dry pasta, to add at end of cooking time

The Directions.

Use a 6 quart or larger crockpot, or cut the recipe in half. This makes a lot.

Brown the meat on the stovetop, and drain well. Let it cool a bit.

Chop up the carrots, onion, and celery. Add it to the empty crockpot.
Drain and rinse the beans, and add them. Add the whole cans of tomatoes, and the pasta sauce. Add the beef broth. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, and Tobasco sauce. Stir in your meat.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. When the vegetables are tender, stir in the 1/2 cup of dry pasta.

Cover and cook for another hour on low, or until the pasta is tender. It will swell quite a bit. *Put kale in at this time if you choose.

Serve with a bit of parmesan cheese if you have it.