Pasta e Fagioli Soup

It has been a long time since we've been to the Olive Garden, but one of our favorites is the Pasta e Fagioli Soup. 

I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought I'd give it a try.  Here is what I did:

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef, browned
1/4 small onion, chopped (maybe less, I'm not a big onion fan)
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cloves garlic (I'm not a big garlic fan, so I don't cut it up)
1 can tomatoes, diced
1 can tomatoes, petite
15oz can tomato sauce
15oz can beef broth
15oz can red kidney beans (with liquid)
15oz can great northern beans (with liquid)
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano (maybe a bit less)
1 teaspoon dried basil (maybe a bit less)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8oz dry ditalini pasta (odd that I couldn't find this shape at my grocery store, but found it at SuperTarget!  Certainly you could use a different shape.)

Directions:
Put everything in a big pot except for the pasta.  Simmer an hour until the carrots are tender, stirring occasionally.  Cook the pasta in a separate pot until just under al dente.  Drain and add to the soup for about 10 minutes.

I don't normally cook with a lot of spices, so I was a little hesitant.  However, it turned out great.  Kent thought it tasted just like Olive Garden's.  The kids ate it up, especially Kyle!