You’ve heard me say on multiple occasions that having an Accountabilibuddy is a good idea. In fact it’s a great idea. Don’t feel like exercising? Boom, Accountabilibuddy says let’s go. Thinking about dropping out or skipping a meeting? AB says I will be over in 10 minutes to pick you up. Husband stops by his parents on the way home and his mother loads him up on bologna sandwiches? Tada…Accountabilibuddy just happens to have an extra bowl of her new recipe hack, Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli ready and waiting. Just for you.
My husband was headed home when his mother called and asked how to get into our loft. Since we have no pets, the mail goes into a locked box, and there are no pipes to freeze we really hadn’t thought about needing to hand out any keys. They had a gift that needed to be delivered so he stopped by their house instead “for a minute”. Two Bologna and cheese sandwiches and a peanut butter and banana later he was no longer a dinner date candidate. I had been on our Thursday walk with my Accountabilibuddy Karen when I got the news. “No dinner for me tonight…mom made her specialty”. Fortunately Karen had already portioned out a serving of her newest find and had it ready when we got back. I told you having an AB was a good idea.
The summer before I got married my sister and I studied abroad, earning college credit through the University of Tennessee (go Vols!) with Ramapo College in Urbino, Italy. Immersed in Italian culture we broadened our minds. Expanded our language skills. Lived amongst a people group with an insatiable thirst for diverse knowledge and ….oh heck. We went to one class a day, jumped the bus to the beach in Pesaro and then ate until we were in a pasta laden coma. Every day.
Penne. Gnocchi. Tiramisu. Gelato. We ate it all. And as much as we could. I mean come on…we were 20 and 17 respectively. Rock hard teenage bodies and in a country where you walk until you can’t walk any more, drink an espresso, dodge a moped, and walk some more. We would have to consume way more food than mere mortals to gain weight on this trip.
A fast favorite was Pasta e Fagioli which back then was not widely available in the US and honestly I don’t think we had even ever heard of it. We heard the slang “Pasta Fasool” and we were hooked. Fun food, even more fun name. Silly American teenagers.
According to the ever wise Wikipedia, Pasta e Fagioli [ˈpasta e ffaˈdʒɔːli], meaning “pasta and beans”, is a traditional Italian dish. Like many other Italian favorites including pizza and polenta, the dish started as a peasant dish, being composed of inexpensive ingredients. Today it can be widely found, even in restaurants that do not specialize in Italian cuisine[citation needed]. It is often pronounced pasta fazool in the United States (after the pronunciation of beans in the Neapolitan language, “pasta e fasule”).[1]
Ok before we all go on an imaginary trip to Italy lets get back to my Accountabilibuddy. The one with soup. On the night I don’t have a dinner date. Yes, that one.
Karen’s Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli – 5 Weight Watchers Smart Points per serving (10 servings)
Ingredients:
- 1 pound extra lean ground turkey breast, browned
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 can kidney beans (rinse and drain)
- 1 can black beans (rinse and drain)
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 jar marinara sauce
- Fresh ground dried italian seasoning
- 3/4 tsp Franks Red Hot Sauce
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground sea salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1 1/4 cup dry rotini pasta (or pasta sharp of your choice) cooked according to package directions
- Fresh grated Parmesan
In a large crock pot or other slow cooker, stir together browned turkey and all other ingredients except the pasta. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Add cooked pasta and stir. Add fresh Parmesan if desired.
Karen served cheese bread with hers for her husband and son so of course then I wanted that too. But alas, no cheese. No bread. So I took one Lite Spinach Flatout, added 1 tsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and more of the fresh ground herbs plus 1/4 cup Light Shredded Cheese and baked until toasted for a tasty 5 SP sidekick. Hope you enjoy!
For access to my Trader Joe’s and other shopping guide Smart Points database along with easy recipe and meal ideas, check out my new app on both the Google Play Store and the Apple Store
Link to the Apple store is: Apple Store https://appsto.re/us/NXKadb.i
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