Thanks Maria, This sounds like a wonderful meal for a winter day. (We've been experiencing a blizzard here in the Midwest today, so I'm ready for a nice soup meal.)

By the way, I wasn't familiar with the type of pasta you recommended -- at least not by name.

So i looked it up. Found out ditalini means "little thimbles" in Italian. It's a smaller cousin of elbow macaroni, and formed into a straight smooth tubular shape.

My source said ditalini can be used in hearty soups, stews, salads and side dishes. For example, if you're familiar with the Italian soup called "Pasta Fagioli" (literally "pasta and beans"), which they serve at the Olive Garden restaurant chain -- for those of us who don't have a more authentic Italian restaurant to frequent -- ditalini is the pasta shape used in that classic thick Italian soup.