Reviewed: Oct. 19, 2009

Get ready for lots of soup--this recipe makes tons. I omitted the bacon and subbed frozen for canned spinach and added okra. The kids didn't like the spinach in the soup, even though they like it sauteed.

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JANBRINKS

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Reading, Pennsylvania, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 1, 2009

This was good - husband liked it better than I did - I thought the bacon flavor was a little overpowering.

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Ellen

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Reviewed: Jul. 31, 2009

I've made this several times and always enjoy it. This is easy to make and not expensive. I have been leaving the bacon out and the soup still has a wonderful flavor.

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Kevin-B

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Mcpherson, Kansas, USA

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Reviewed: Jul. 8, 2009

I chose not to use the diced tomatos. I thought it would be too much tomato. I also used escarole instead of spinach. And as it thinkened I continued to add chicken broth. Very good.

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Lynn Goliber

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Reviewed: Jun. 15, 2009

Your will crave this for ever I did;

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Ron

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Reviewed: May 21, 2009

I used a pound of spicy sausage instead of bacon and cooked the pasta prior to adding it to the rest of the ingredients. Good & Easy!

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ForeverTERESA

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Indian Rocks Beach, Florida, USA

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Reviewed: May 19, 2009

Rated an excellent!! My boyfriend has a pasta e fagioli fascination and he said the bacon addition was the clincher - it made it unique and a total meal, plus the overall soup recipe was the best he's had - I'm Irish, go figure!!

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KAMBRE

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Reviewed: Apr. 20, 2009

Yum!! Just what I was hoping it would be! My husband suggested adding sausage next time; worth trying! I still found it to be salty, though I used No Sodium broth (canned tomatoes are salty too).

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BUFFALOS9

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Athens, Ohio, USA

Living In: Boulder, Colorado, USA

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Reviewed: Apr. 14, 2009

Absolutely love it..you can add meat and change things up adding different things. I've shared this with several people and they also love it!

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RedSoxluvr

Living In: Western, New York, USA

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Reviewed: Apr. 9, 2009

Loved this soup. Made it as written except used frozen spinach instead of canned and mini bow ties. Tasted like a soup I had at the Olive Garden.

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the diva

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Apr. 3, 2009

VERY TASTY. My husband said it tasted "smooth" and looked fancy enough to serve in a restaurant. Changes we made: Rotini pasta instead of shells, cooked separately as suggested by others. Left out two cups of water and left the lid on the pot while cooking. Used 15oz can of tomato sauce instead of 28. Only had one can Great Northern Beans, so subbed a can of pinto beans for the 2nd. Only used 4 slices bacon. Did not rinse/drain beans, this left enough salt in the soup that none extra was needed. Had a mysterious 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes w/onions and celery, so used that with another 14.5 oz can of regular diced tomatoes. This one is a keeper for the recipe box.

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Jennifer

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Reviewed: Mar. 14, 2009

This is awesome and easy to make. I used ditilante (spelled wrong) pasta instead of shells. Goes a long way too! Thanks for a great recipe.

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MELANIE2711

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 24, 2009

My family loved this recipe, especially the second day! The only change I intentionally made was that I used bacon bits instead of frying the bacon. I accidently left out the basil at the end. Next time I might use smaller pasta than shells due to the swelling over time. This made a huge pot so we ate on it for several days.

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ZEBRAKEPER

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Reviewed: Dec. 3, 2008

This soup recipe is very easy and good. I added a stalk of celery and used red beans I had on hand. Only because of health concerns, I omitted the cheese and bacon and it did not compromise the flavor of the soup. The soup was delicious.

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smellsgood

Cooking Level: Beginning

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Reviewed: Nov. 16, 2008

Made a few changes based on what others had to say, 1st I sauted small onion and some finely chopped celery and carrot at the begining. I added an extra can of chicken broth as well. Used crumbled sausage (excellent)instead of bacon only because I didnt have any. I also added oregano and fresh and dried parsley. Also, just as a general note: Never add pasta directly to any recipe to cook. Cook pasta separately then add to dish. This soup was wonderful. Very hearty, will make again through the winter.

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143sidney

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Northport, New York, USA

Living In: Gainesville, Florida, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 6, 2008

Great recipe. I added some loose italian sausage and another can of spinach.

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Carol Marshall

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Reviewed: Oct. 31, 2008

The amount of pasta was great for us. I used the microwave, precooked bacon, but will probably fry my own next time. I also added about 1/2 lb. of ground beef. There were too many tomatoes in it for me, but everyone else loved it! I look forward to making this one for years to come!

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Aliceof1derland

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Louisville, Kentucky, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 27, 2008

This was good, but tasted a little like liquid pizza sauce. I think next time I'll only do half of the tomato sauce and add an extra can of broth. The tomato flavor was really really intense, but overall the soup was really good. I left out the bacon because I didn' feel like frying it and added a half a pound of hamburger browned with italian seasoning and diced onion. I'll make this again.

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Lindsay

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Inman, Kansas, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 11, 2008

This soup was amazing! It was also very easy to make too, which is always nice. I did think that the amount of pasta made it more like a stew instead of a soup, but that didn't stop our family from eating it up! I will cut back on the amount of pasta next time though, just to see if we like it better that way. Overall, it was a definite hit that I will be making often.

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Angela

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Reviewed: Oct. 6, 2008

The flavor is very good overall. I think it is short on broth so I added another can of chicken stock and some more water. (I need plenty for dunking my bread in) Also, it seems like too many noodles so I only added 1/2 amount called for. In the past I've also used cheese filled tortellini rather than shells. Sometimes I use frozen spinach and it works just fine. I will make again.

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