Sausage Pasta Fazool (Pasta e Fagioli) � Perfect for �One of Those Days�

It�s not completely accurate to say this is my recipe for sausage pasta fazool, since I�ve probably never made this the same way twice, but that�s just the kind of dish it is. In fact, I rarely even make it on purpose, but rather as a way to use up leftover meat. Regardless of what you use, this is classic Italian-American comfort food at its finest.

Having said that, if you were going to make this intentionally, this particular array of ingredients does work quite well. Sausage is always a great choice for a sauce, since not only do we get our meat, we also get all the associated garlic, herbs, and spices for free.

Speaking of the herbs and spices, I went with �sweet� Italian, because I really like how the anise and fennel seeds work with the beans, but any variety of fresh or dried sausage can be used. So, don�t feel like you have to wait for �one of those days� before giving this a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 large or 4 smaller portions:

1 tablespoon olive oil

12 ounces sweet Italian sausage

1 rib celery, diced

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

3/4 cup dry macaroni

1/4 cup tomato paste

3 to 4 cups chicken broth, or as needed

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

red pepper flakes to taste

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

3 cups chopped Swiss chard

1 (15-oz) can white beans, drained

grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese