"I thought it was a very good recipe. Having made Giada' dishes before, I knew I would not be disappointed. I changed just a few things.

-I left out the pancetta and instead added browned ground beef (although next time I will use spicy Italian sausage).
-I added 1/2 a cup of cream to the beans that I blended and then added to the soup.
-I used small shells instead of the elbows.
-I added one small can of tomato sauce and one small can of diced tomatoes.
-I added 1/2 cup of thinly sliced baby carrots (added near the end to keep them slightly crunchy).
-I used red and white beans.

All in all I thought it was a great recipe and thought my additions were good ones. However, to each his own ;)