Pasta e Fagioli Soup

I had an Italian boyfriend for a period of time and this title would come up in conversations (probably why I've never made it before, lol).  Anyway, I was craving hamburger soup but instead of my usual, I decided to give this a try.   What I used:

• 1 lb extra lean ground turkey
• 1 cup Ditalini pasta, cooked 
• Organic extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 stalks carrot, sliced
• 3 leeks, washed well and sliced
• 398 ml low-sodium kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 398 ml low-sodium cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 16 oz "Bianco DiNapoli" crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups organic "Better than Bouillon" low-sodium vegetable broth
• 398 ml can whole peeled cherry tomatoes
• Parmesan rind
• 1 bay leaf
• Fresh oregano, tied in twine bundle
• Fresh basil, tied in twine bundle
• Fresh thyme, tied in twine bundle
• Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• Fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for garnish
• Fresh Italian parsley, coarsely chopped for garnish

I started by sautéing all the vegetables until soft and then added in the turkey.  When browned I added everything else in except the pasta.  

I simmered this covered for 45 minutes.  

I added the cooked pasta and simmered again for 15 minutes.  I removed the herb bundle, bay leaf and Parmesan rind.  I served with more cheese and parsley.

Fantastic, we thought!  Everything was just very tasty to the palette.  Comfort food for sure.