Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli
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A super easy, no-fuss copycat recipe that’s wonderfully hearty and comforting, except it tastes 100x better than the restaurant-version!
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what is pasta e fagioli?
Pasta e fagioli is a classic Italian soup literally translating to “pasta and beans”. This is typically made with vegetables, a variety of beans and pasta in a tomato broth.
why i love this recipe
- One pot dinner. This is one of those soups that come together so easily on the stovetop in a single pot, even the uncooked pasta gets cooked right in (unless you’re cooking it separately for leftovers). One pot means less clean up, less dishes!
- Uses pantry staples. The ingredient list may seem long, but most of the ingredients use pantry essentials, sparing you from that emergency grocery run.
- Freezer-friendly. Pasta e fagioli freezes very well sans pasta, making it perfect to stock up the freezer for those cold winter nights, for new moms or for those recovering from surgery.
tips and tricks for success
- Use short cut pasta. Ditalini, macaroni or a small shape pasta similar in size to the vegetables and beans is ideal.
- Save leftover Parmesan rinds. Get more out of those expensive Parmesan cheeses by using up the leftover rinds! Adding a Parmesan rind slightly thickens the broth and adds a level of nutty richness to the soup.
- Add leafy greens. Pasta e fagioli is a great way to sneak in some greens for those picky eaters. Stir in kale, spinach, cabbage, swiss chard or collard greens near the end of cooking time until wilted.
- Stir in more stock with leftovers. When reheating leftovers, stir in more stock as needed as the pasta will continue to soak up the broth. The pasta can also be cooked and stored separately.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
what to serve with pasta e fagioli
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli: Frequently Asked Questions
Ground beef or ground turkey will work very well here. Pancetta or bacon are also great additions.
Pasta e fagioli can absolutely be made in the crockpot, cooked low and slow for 7-8 hours. Recipe here.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the pasta (or else they will get mushy) in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding freshly cooked pasta and a splash of broth (if needed) when serving.
Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casing removed
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 (16-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup ditalini pasta
- 1 (3-inch) Parmesan rind
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup shaved Parmesan
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add Italian sausage to the skillet and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; set aside.
- Add onion, carrots and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, basil, oregano and thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in Italian sausage, chicken broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, water, pasta and Parmesan rind; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Stir in beans until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
- Serve immediately, topped with Parmesan.
Did you make this recipe?
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My sister is the one who turned me on to this soup at Olive Garden years ago. Typically I will get minestrone but she said you really got to try this. She said the best way I could describe it it’s like almost like Italian chili. After I had it at the restaurant I fell in love with it. One day I was actually jonesing for it and wanted to look for a good copycat recipe with good reviews. I came across this one and I only use this recipe! The only difference is I probably use about 3/4 cups of the pasta that overall it is a damn good copycat and also instead of chicken stock I use Better Than Bouillon. Those that are interested in using that it’s a teaspoon for each cup of water so three teaspoons and 3 cups of water and it’s just as tasty. I highly recommend this recipe to anybody.
This is even better than Olive Garden!! My go to when we have to feed a lot of ppl- also freezes well! Been making this for years now.
Love this soup. I make it every Fall and winter with a side of garlic bread. So yummy and satisfying. I add some finely chopped Kale as well.
Amazing recipe.
Love!! The broth, veggies and herbs make this so perfect. Really comforting too when you’re sick but great anytime!
This is my favorite soup recipe! I use half spicy and half sweet italian sausage. It turns out great every time and is very similar to Olive Garden……but with more zip.
This has to be the best soup. I make it often. Love it.
Made this recipe many times, albeit with slight variations. I use tomato paste instead of tomato sauce. Probably makes for a slightly thicker stock. And i use a nice meat trifecta of lean ground beef, sweet Italian sausage (instead of spicy sausage), and I throw in some Prosciutto, which adds a nice baconey
edge. I know, it costs more, but the difference is worth the cost. I also use cannellini (white kidney) beans instead of northern beans (IDK, maybe the Southerner coming out in me LOL). Blows away what Olive Garden makes. And I triple to quadruple the recipe which gives my wife and I (and any other lucky guest who comes along) several left over meals. The last of the batch I usually freeze, which is perfectly good up to 6 months later. We love this so much. Just went shopping for the week and I bought everything I need to make it this coming Sunday. Mmmm-Mmmm GOOD! Oh, and for the folks that ask about the carrots, and how many, I use the baby carrots, already peeled and ready to just throw in the mix. I guess how many depends on how big a batch you’re making. I use several one
pound bags because I really love the carrots.
This recipe was better than Olive Garden! Whole family loved it!
We love hearing that! Thank you so much for sharing.
I have made this and I love it. One question how many cups of carrots and celery? Carrots are all diferent sizes.
I love your recipes. Thank you. Am making Pasta Ravioli tomorrow. It says 3 carrots. Carrots are all different. Would that be 2 or 3 cups chopped carrots?
This is absolutely delicious. Truly the best soup I’ve ever made and am so glad I discovered this recipe. I make a soffritto and go from there. Thank you for sharing this and all your wonderful recipes with us, Chungah. I visit your site frequently and get great results every time.
Love this recipe!
Just be aware that the prep and cook times are not even close to accurate (like so many recipes). Start to finish, it took me over an hour to make this. Which doesn’t stop me from making it, I just have to make sure I allow enough time.
This is my favorite soup to make! I make it as written and it’s delish!
THE BEST pasta fagoli recipe! I use 1/2 lb of 85/15 hamburger with 1/2 lb sausage and it turns out fabulous! My fave recipe.
10/10 I love this recipe. I make it just as it is written and it is damn delicious! It makes a large volume, so I recommend adding the pasta only to the amount you will be serving. Otherwise the pasta gets soft and large in the leftovers.
This soup also freezes exceptionally well! Again, I don’t add the pasta beforehand.
Thank you for this legendary recipe!
Always a favorite in our house!
Thanks so much for posting this! I’ve used this recipe for a few years now but I made it today and I had to comment this time. This truly is a great dupe and pretty easy to make considering I usually have the majority of the ingredients on hand. I subbed some items for ground turkey, small wheat macaroni and canellini beans, but it’s the same result: a hearty, warming flavorful masterpiece! Keep cooking and keep sharing!
I made something tasty and didn’t hate my own cooking. I added chickpea shells to make it gluten free. Might omit pasta next time since I like the beans and sauce the best. New favorite recipe!
Loved it!!