Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli
by Chungah
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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!
Featured Comment
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
Video
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
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.
Equipment
Did you make this recipe?
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Perfect for a snowy day! The whole family liked it!!
Really great recipe. my family loved it as well. I never tasted the original recipe from Olive Garden to compare but this was delish and hearty. great soup for the winter.
I want to make this but I have 3 kids and was wondering if the hot sausage was going to be too spicy for them. Does Olive Garden put spicy sausage in I can’t remember.
I’m not sure what Olive Garden does but both of my kids love this recipe! They’re 10 and 4. I feel like its just spicy enough. My hubby and 10yo add more spice, me and the 4yo eat it as written.
I’ve been making this recipe for the past 10-ish years ever since I had the pasta e fagilio soup at Olive Garden around 2014. I fell in love with the soup but can’t always go out to eat. I knew something had changed with this recipe from years ago. Still tastes delicious and my go-to soup recipe for comfort. I just don’t add the Parmesan rinds. And I’m still debating if the pasta tastes better pre-boiled or added with the broth. Please don’t even remove this recipe! It’s on my favorites.
This soup is AMAZING. I can’t believe it, but it is better than Olive Garden. Better. Thank you so much.
This recipe was a hit, it was enough to share with the neighbors, and they loved it.
Just tried this soup, about an hour ago at the Olive Garden. Delicious! Got home and searched for the recipe. I haven’t made it yet. But I can’t wait too.
It taste similar and I need to and the thyme and maybe chicken broth . I have always use diced can tomatoes and tomatoe paste but somethings missing . All in all taste delicious !
We had clients in today for lunch and I made this soup as written in the recipe, other than blending some hot sausage with some mild so it wasn’t too spicy. It was a hit and much better than Olive Garden’s Pasta e Fagioli as it had a lot less sodium! This recipe made a lot of soup, so we have leftovers! I also made mini baguettes to soak up the soupy goodness, along with home made caesar salad! A lovely complete meal! Client asked me for the soup recipe! Winner!! Thanks so much.
Where is the nutrition information?
I made this tonight and my family loved it. Better than Olive Gardens! I will definitely save and use this recipe often! Thank you for an amazing recipe!
This is not the original recipe from 5/17/2014. The pasta was cooked be itself, no Parmesan Rind and the spices were not put in with the carrots, they were added with the broth and remaining ingredients. It still tasted great.
I was wondering! I’m going to make it tonight, but thought I had the wrong recipe for a minute there. Definitely different.
Made this as the recipe was written. I wouldn’t change a thing, it’s delicious. Add crusty bread and a small side salad and you will have an amazing meal worthy of company.
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.