Friday Night Wife: An Olive Garden Dinner

Gonzo loves Olive Garden! He has a few favorites on their menu and he never, ever orders anything different. We went to the OG on our first date actually and he ordered the same they he always does - Chicken Parmigiana with soup not salad, pasta fagioli as his never ending soup choice. Since we have been married I have tried many different copycat recipes that were all a fail! The first time I tried a recipe it said to cook the pasta in the soup. Which was fine until the next day when you opened the pot and the liquid had disappeared and the pasta was swollen to max capacity! After that when I tried a recipe I always cooked the pasta separate and then added it to each individual bowl. We are convinced that is what the OG does! I made another recipe last week that turned out awesome. In fact we think it's better than OG's pasta fagioli! I kind of did my own thing based off of a few different Pinterest recipes! We liked it soooo much that we had it again last night and because I am eating for three and starving while I am shoveling food into my mouth I made a big Olive Garden salad to go with it. Not that the salad held me any longer than the soup did! I will tell you exactly what I have done the last two times. Gonzo told me it was perfect and to do exactly what I did last time! Try it and let me know what you think!

The Gonzales' OG Pasta Fagioli

1 pkg of mild italian sausage (casings removed)

1 medium onion diced

2 ribs of celery chopped

1-2 cups of shredded carrots

2 - 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes

2 - 15 oz. cans of white kidney beans rinsed and drained

1 box of chicken stock

1 Knorr brand Beef Homestyle Stock

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

Salt and Pepper to taste

Ditalini pasta

Here are the ingredients. I used a box of stock and the Knorr brand Homestyle Stock because that is what I had in my pantry. You add three cups of water to each Homestyle Stock you use! I love those things!

I don't know why it turns some of my pictures around, but it really wears me out. Anyhow, cook the onion, celery, and sausage with casings removed on medium heat until the sausage is cooked completely.

Add the drained and rinsed beans and tomatoes, and stock. Do not drain the tomatoes. You will want the juice for the broth of the soup.

Add the dried herbs, salt, pepper.

Oh, and I almost forgot! I also use 1 bayleaf. Only because I have them in my cabinet. If I did not have them I probably wouldn't have worried about adding it!

Add the shredded carrots.

Let it come to a simmer and turn the heat down to low. Let it cook on low for an hour with the lid tilted.

Here is another picture that turned sideways! UGH! I add a good two handfuls of spinach because it cooks down so much! I take the stems off!

Add the spinach after it has cooked down a little. You won't need to cook this after you add the spinach. The heat from the soup will cook it after you stir it in.

Cook the pasta separate according to package directions. You won't need the whole box.

Stinking picture! Here is the finished product! We just put a little pasta in the bowl and then ladle the soup over it. That way we don't have swollen pasta the next day!

Here is the Mock OG salad. I made the Pinterest Olive Garden dressing. I added a little more mayo, garlic salt, lemon juice and black pepper. It didn't taste just like their dressing but it was good! I had two helpings of salad! Cold crunchy salad tastes amazing to me these days!