It smells like Olive Garden

Good Evening all,  Well the boys wanted to do the restaurant recipe this week.  You are going to love this and even your kids will eat it too.  This actually looks, tastes and smells like your at Olive Garden.  It is that good.  It is also very easy to make.  I found it on the Internet being cooked in a crock pot. I adapted this recipe from 365 days of slow cooking.  I had to cook it in a soup pot because I still have not replaced the old one that got a giant crack in it.  So I think it made it even better so here we go.  Enjoy the recipe.

Here's what your going to need:

1 lb ground beef (you can even use turkey)

1 small onion,  dice it up real good

1 cup shredded carrots (I  buy the bag)

1 cup finely chopped celery

3 gloves garlic, minced (I used one teaspoon of jarred minced garlic)

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (I used 1/2 diced tomatoes)

2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce

1 (15 oz) can of red kidney beans do not drain

1 (15 oz) can of great northern beans do not drain

1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup apple juice

8 oz Dry Ditalini pasta

Parmesan or mozzarella cheese, for serving (we don't use this item)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Garlic powder, oregano and basil to taste 

An extra 2 cans of broth because the noodles will soak it up

1. Brown the meat. I browned it in the soup pot and drained after no longer pink.  Then I added the veggies,  sauces, broths and spices and beans.  Stir until well mixed up.  Put on burner on simmer for an hour frequently stirring.

2.  Pour in apple juice and taste and if needed add seasoning to taste

3.  Cook pasta according to directions but not all the way because you don't want the soup to be mushy. So when noodles have 3 minutes left drain them and put in soup. Cook soup another 20 to 30 minutes.

4. If soup does get to thick you can add extra broth to it.

5. Taste to see if more seasoning is required I added  another 1 teaspoon of garlic and sprinkled oregano to taste.

6.  When every things just right put into bowls and serve.

Don't forget to follow along at my www.facebook.com/lorraine2448 for halloween candy treat recipe.