White Bean, Pasta & Sausage Soup

Perfect for football season and fall weather, this recipe from Gooseberry Patch's Fall, Family & Friends Cookbook was so delicious I just had to post it. Scott is a huge fan of this, and I have a feeling I'll be making it a lot this winter.

Final product! You can see that there is hardly any liquid
in my bowl, so it's more like a noodle dish. You can always
add more liquid (I'd recommend more broth), which will help
feed a crowd!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. spicy ground Italian sausage

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 c. dried Great Northern Beans

2 Tbsp currants

6 cups chicken broth

3 cups water

1 tsp dried basil

14-1/2 oz. can roma tomatoes

1 cup small shell pasta, uncooked

Garnish: grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Place sausage, onion, garlic and carrot in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute until sausage is browned and vegetables are tender; drain. Stir in beans, currants, broth, water and basil; bring to  a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 2 1/2 hours, or until beans are tender. Add tomatoes and pasta; simmer until pasta is tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Serves 4 to 6.

Tricks of the Trade:

• This is a great weekend recipe since it does take such a long time to simmer. The good news is, once it's put together, it's practically hands off until the end. You don't even need to stir it.
• As far as ingredients go, I tend to change things. Here are my alterations:
• 1 pound ground sausage instead of 1/2 lb
• a handful of baby carrots, chopped (the tiny carrots look cute!)
• I completely omitted currants. I know they probably completely change the flavor but they are something I never eat and I wasn't about to spend the money on a full bag of them. :)
• I used 4 cups beef broth and 2 cups chicken broth, mainly just because that was what I had on hand.
• I used an undrained can of diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil. 
• Any kind of pasta will work. My favorite lately is cellentani. It has a great texture and feel in your mouth. :)
• This is one of those great recipes that you can add whatever you want to it. My wound up being more like a chili than a soup, and we love it!

Cellentani! I just love this kind of noodle. My current favorite. :)

Hope you enjoy - let me know how your version turns out!