My Pasta e Fagioli

I've been wanting to make a Pasta e Fagioli soup for awhile, but I was quite intimidated by most of the recipes I found. They looked wonderfully delicious, but they always had some ingredients that I wasn't so sure about. I decided to make my own version instead of following any one recipe, and it turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Pasta e Fagioli

1 lb. ground sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 c. beef broth
1 c. water
1 (15 oz) can butter beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tbs. Worchestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
seasoned with: parsley, thyme, basil, fresh ground pepper
1 cup small pasta (I used elbow macaroni)

Brown the sausage with the onions and garlic; drain fat. Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the pasta and bring to a boil. Once a boil is reached, turn down the heat, cover, and simmer about a half an hour. Add the pasta, turn the heat up to return soup to a boil; then turn down to a simmer again until pasta is tender (about 6 minutes).

Note: The pasta soaks up a lot of the liquid, you may need to add more water or broth.

That's it, super easy, super hearty and great for a winter day.