That’s right, the BEST! I know most Italian food lovers have had Minestrone soup or Pasta Faggioli soup. This recipe is like a good marry of the both with incredible flavor!
I used center cut bacon and mild Italian sausage. Some lovely herbs. fresh veggies, and canned crushed tomatoes. Store bought broth, a bit of pizza sauce (yep pizza sauce) and rigatoni. The beautiful dish is plated and finished off with fresh basil and Pecorino Romano cheese.
The best part is that we will be cooking it all in one pot, and it takes about 45 minutes, Woohoo weekday win!
It is a hearty soup and because of that I serve it as a main course. You can enjoy with a light salad, some antipasto, or my favorite, with a crusty Italian loaf of bread. It sure soaks up the sauces nicely. Yum.
Ok enough chit chat, I am hungry!
The BEST Rigatoni Soup!
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large stock pot
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 5-6 strips of center cut bacon, cut into bite size pieces
- 3/4 1 pound package mild Italian sausage you can use the whole 1 lb. package if you would like. I save the rest and pop it in the freezer for gravy or breakfast.
- 1 yellow medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 cup carrots, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt
- 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp. Italian oregano, dried
- 1 12 oz. crushed canned tomatoes do not drain
- 1/4 cup pizza sauce
- 1 can northern beans do not drain
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 1/2 cups rigatoni pasta
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped, for serving
- 1/4- 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated , for serving comes in a plastic container, usually by the deli and fancy cheeses.
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or stock pot add a light drizzle of olive oil over med heat.
- Add the bacon and cook halfway through, then add the Italian sausage. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink. Scoop out the meats and let them drain on a paper towel on a plate. Do not drain the fat from the meat.
- Add 3 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil to the pot still over medium heat. Some of the bacon bits may be left in the pan and that is just fine.
- Now add the onion. Let them cook for about 2 minutes or until they start to turn translucent. Add the garlic and fresh rosemary. Stir and cook 1 minute. Next to the party is the bell pepper and carrot. In the pot she goes. We are going to let the veggies sweat off for about 8- 10 minutes. During this time lets add the salt, pepper, and oregano. Continue to stir between.
- After the veggies are soft and smelling amazing, add the can of tomatoes w juice, and beans w juice, the cooked Italian sausage and the pizza sauce. Stir. Then add the broth. Stir again.
- Bring the broth to a light boil on med-high heat and add the pasta. Stir, and cover. Turn the heat down to med-low. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring in between.
- Serve it up with some fresh basil and Pecorino Romano cheese.
- ENJOY!
