Pasta e Fagioli Soup is filled with lean ground beef, beans, and pasta. In a way, it’s an Italian-style chili. Olive Garden’s Pasta e Fagioli has long been a favorite of mine, and I’m so happy to say this recipe is the best copycat version of it!
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Fun fact during my college years, I worked as a waitress at the Olive Garden. Next to blogging, it was my favorite job.
I don’t go there as often as I might like for obvious reasons – I have no self-control when it comes to garlic sticks, salad, soups, and everything else on the menu. So, instead of depriving myself of Olive Garden food, I’ve created healthy copycat versions of my favorites.
This Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip, Zuppa Toscana, Baked Chicken Parmesan, Healthy Fettuccine Alfredo, Healthy Baked Ziti, Healthy Eggplant Parmesan are all inspired by my Olive Garden favorites.
Today, I’m sharing one of my favorite Olive Garden copycat recipes with you – Pasta e Fagioli.
Reasons you’ll love this recipe
- Delicious – this lighted-up version does not skimp on taste! It’s filled with rich tomato flavor, hearty ground beef, tender veggies, and fiber-rich beans. It’s hearty without leaving you bloated and warms you right up from head to toe.
- One-pot meal – All ingredients get thrown into one soup pot for easy preparation and clean-up during the busy week.
- Make-ahead – One of the many great things about Pasta e Fagioli is you can make it on Sunday for lunches and dinners throughout the week or freeze it into portions for quick meals later on.
FAQs
Pasta e Fagioli is an Italian soup—the name itself means “pasta and beans,” which is what this soup is comprised of, along with ground beef. I like to describe it as an Italian-style chili soup.
No, it’s not; most versions call for ground beef and beef stock. However, you can swap in an extra can of beans for the beef and use vegetable broth instead.
Ingredients
- Olive oil – to saute the veggies!
- Carrots, celery, yellow onion, and garlic are the vegetable base for this Pasta Fagioli recipe. Cut the vegetables into small pieces to help them cook evenly and quickly.
- Oregano, basil, thyme – this blend of spices brings fantastic flavor to the soup.
- Ground beef – use 90 – 95% lean ground beef to reduce the grease and fat in the recipe.
- Tomato paste – this gives the soup a deep rich tomato flavor.
- Tomato sauce – this adds a smooth texture to the soup.
- Diced tomatoes – adds flavor and texture.
- Beef broth – For best flavor, use organic beef broth. If you don’t have any, then chicken or vegetable broth will work.
- Red and white kidney beans – these beans give delicious flavor and texture to Pasta Fagioli. Just a shopping note: white kidney beans are also called Cannellini beans or Great Northern beans.
- Ditalini pasta – is a small short pasta; if you can’t find it, then small shells or elbow macaroni will work.
- Parmesan cheese – sprinkle grated parmesan cheese into a bowl of hot olive garden pasta Fagioli is scrumptious.
Cooking Tips
- You can swap in ground turkey – to lower the fat and cholesterol of this easy pasta Fagioli recipe; you could use ground turkey instead of beef. Ground beef does provide a more authentic flavor, but ground turkey is still tasty.
- Add in some Italian ground sausage – This adds another layer of flavor and some extra spice to the soup. ¼ or ½ pound of ground Italian sausage will work.
- Spice it up – For heat, stir in ¼ – ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Make it vegan – Or leave the meat out entirely and even use vegan “beef” crumbles or an extra can of beans. Also, make sure to grab vegetable broth too.
- Gluten-free – If you have a gluten allergy, use gluten-free pasta and double-check to ensure the broth is gluten-free. It might be challenging to fund glute-free ditalini pasta, so grab small shells or any small pasta shape if that’s the case.
- Add more vegetables – Zucchini, squash, spinach, or kale, or any vegetables you have in the refrigerator will work in this Italian soup.
- Pasta Fagioli is a thick soup – As I said, it’s more like a chili or even a stew. If you need to thin it out, then stir in an extra beef broth.
Supplies
- 5 ½ quart soup pot
- Soup ladels
- Souper cubes – to freeze the soup into portions.
How to Make Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli
- In a 5 ½ quart dutch oven or soup, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add onions, carrots, and celery and cook until onions are translucent; this step takes around 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Then stir the dried oregano, basil, and thyme into the cooked vegetables. Cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the spices are fragrant. This step helps to bloom the spices, which gives them a deeper flavor.
- Stir the tomato paste into the vegetables. This method helps to blend the tomato paste evenly into the vegetables and soup.
- Next, add the ground beef into the soup pot and sprinkle with salt. Cook until beef is no longer pink. Break up the ground beef into small pieces as it cooks.
- To the soup pot, pour in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beef broth, red kidney beans, and white kidney beans.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer for 45 minutes or until carrots and celery are soft. Add more beef broth if the soup gets too thick.
- Serve with cooked ditalini pasta. You can either add the pasta to the pot or add the amount of pasta you want into a bowl and then ladle the soup over the top and mix.
- Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on top and enjoy.
How to Make Pasta Fagioli in a Slow Cooker
Cook the vegetables, spices, tomato paste, and beef as directed in the original recipe.
Add the vegetable and beef mixture into the slow cooker with the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beans, and broth. Cook for on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Taste for salt and seasonings. Serve with cooked pasta.
Cooking tip: Leave the pasta on the side. It’s not recommended to add the pasta to cook in the slow cooker recipe because it will get mushy. Instead, serve the portioned out pasta in an individual bowl and ladle the soup over the top.
What to serve with it?
This hearty Italian soup doesn’t need much else to keep you full, but, of course, it pairs wonderfully with a salad!
If you have room for extra carbs, then sopping up the soup with crusty bread is nothing short of heaven.
How to Store
To make ahead for the week.
- Cook the pasta Fagioli on Sunday, leave the pasta on the side. Let the soup cool slightly, then spoon it into glass storage containers and refrigerator for five days. The pasta can be made ahead of time and stored in a separate container or bag in the fridge.
- Reheat the soup on the stovetop or microwave and add in the pasta after the soup is hot.
To freeze.
- To freeze the soup, simply make as directed in the recipe card but don’t add the pasta.
- In my experience, soup freezes better without the pasta added to it. So, if you want to freeze this soup, leave the pasta out until you are ready to eat. Or you can add the pasta on top of the soup before freezing.
- Then, ladle your Fagioli soup into freezer-safe lidded containers, label the date, and freeze. Make sure only to fill the container about ¾ full, as the liquid will expand as it freezes. You can also use silicone freezer trays, like Souper Cubes, to freeze into portions.
- When you are ready to eat it, you can stick it in the microwave for a minute or two. It will become similar to a slushy texture at this point, so give it a couple of scrapes and stirs, then microwave it for another couple of minutes. Repeat until it’s fully warmed. You can also do this on the stovetop if you prefer.
Check out this tutorial for more detailed instructions on how to freeze soup.
Olive Garden’s Pasta e Fagioli
Pasta e Fagioli Soup is filled with lean ground beef, beans, and pasta. In a way, it’s an Italian-style chili. Olive Garden’s Pasta e Fagioli has long been a favorite of mine, and I’m so happy to say this recipe is the best copycat version of it!
#wprm-recipe-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-full svg * { fill: #ffffff; }
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Servings: 10 people
Calories: 441kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 carrots chopped into small pieces
- 3 celery stalks chopped into small pieces
- 1 onion chopped into small pieces
- 3 garlic cloves chopped into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 3 cups beef broth plus more if needed
- 1 15 ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15 ounce can white kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 4 cups cooked ditalini pasta
- grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
-
In a 5 ½ quart dutch oven or soup, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery and cook until onions are translucent; this step takes around 5 minutes.
-
Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant.
-
Then stir the dried oregano, basil, and thyme into the cooked vegetables. Cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the spices are fragrant.
-
Stir the tomato paste into the vegetables.
-
Next, add the ground beef into the soup pot and sprinkle it with salt. Cook until beef is no longer pink. Break up the ground beef into small pieces as it cooks.
-
To the soup pot, pour in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beef broth, red kidney beans, and white kidney beans. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 45 minutes or until carrots and celery are soft. Add more beef broth if the soup gets too thick.
-
Serve with cooked ditalini pasta. You can either add the pasta to the pot or add the amount of pasta you want into a bowl and then ladle the soup over the top and mix.
-
Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on top and enjoy.
Notes
To make ahead for the week.
Cook the pasta Fagioli on Sunday, leave the pasta on the side. Let the soup cool slightly, then spoon it into glass storage containers and refrigerator for five days. The pasta can be made ahead of time and stored in a separate container or bag in the fridge.
Reheat the soup on the stovetop or microwave and add in the pasta after the soup is hot.
To freeze.
To freeze the soup, simply make as directed in the recipe card but don’t add the pasta.
In my experience, soup freezes better without the pasta added to it. So, if you want to freeze this soup, leave the pasta out until you are ready to eat. Or you can add the pasta on top of the soup before freezing.
Then, ladle your Fagioli soup into freezer-safe lidded containers, label the date, and freeze. Make sure only to fill the container about ¾ full, as the liquid will expand as it freezes. You can also use silicone freezer trays, like Souper Cubes, to freeze into portions.
When you are ready to eat it, you can stick it in the microwave for a minute or two. It will become similar to a slushy texture at this point, so give it a couple of scrapes and stirs, then microwave it for another couple of minutes. Repeat until it’s fully warmed. You can also do this on the stovetop if you prefer.
Nutrition
Calories: 441kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 670mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 9g
Other Healthy Soup Recipes
Did you make this recipe?
Have you tried this Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli recipe yet? If so, I’d love for you to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. We all learn from each other’s experiences. Also, it would be awesome if you could share a picture on Instagram and tag it #organizeyourselfskinny. I can’t wait to see it.
