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!
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
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.
Video
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I make this almost weekly in the winter, and monthly throughout the rest of the year. I add about 5 shakes of Worcester shire sauce while it cooks in my crockpot. So delicious!
I make this often. Mostly when a friend is sick or in need. Then double the batch and have lots for our family for dinner and lunches too. It’s a huge hit with everyone. I’ve also frozen it and it heats up well. Then again, we aren’t too picky if the pasta is a little soft. The flavors are gorgeous. Definitely in my top list of “go to” recipes. Thanks!!
Made this on Saturday and will eat off it in the coming work week. I followed the recipe but my veggies were still crunchy. (My fault for not testing them before moving on to the next step. I wound up laboriously scooping the carrots and celery out and then cooking them a bit longer in another pot before adding back into the soup.) When I make it again, I think I’ll cut the pasta back to 1/2 or 3/4 cup. I’ll also use more liquid. Four cups wasn’t enough for me — just one person, eating the soup primarily as leftovers. Very yummy soup, though. Thank you for the recipe.
Damn delicious is right! Made recipe just as stated, and love it.
I like that you have nutrition information but am wondering what the serving size might be. 1 cup?
Yes. About 1-2 cups.
I added 1/4 cup of pickled beet juice to my tomatoes and homemade sauce. No thyme – fantastico!
I rarely comment on anything…. but, oh! my! goodness! This is amazing. We are Olive Garden fans, and even the kids said this was WAY better. My only changes were: I doubled it, I did not drain any of the beans or sausage, which then I used a little less broth and I put in about 3 good tsp (eyeballed, Italians are not good at measuring) Italian seasoning.
Also it took a bit longer to prep (and I bought matchstick carrots) but I have no complaints. This is fabulous. Thank you for sharing!!
Not draining the beans makes for a thick soup, if you dare call it soup. Draining your sausage will cut down on the fat content considerably, and leave less nasty grease at the top of your soup. Try it with beef broth and a 3 to 1 mix of ground beef to sweet sausage. That is the original OG recipe.
Also there is no basil in the OH recipe.
GREAT soup– makes a huge pot, and freezes great too!
I used a 3 cup carton of chicken broth, no water– and agree with other poster about the thyme! (JUST A PINCH)-otherwise it overwhelms the basil and oregano.
You will need to thin in out with broth if you eat it the next day though- the pasta absorbs the liquid, and it becomes like a stew. But, this is absolutely one of my fave Fall/Winter soups to make– THANKS for this recipe!
Hi guys, I’ve just made this soup and it was more than DELICIOUS!!! Thank you for the recipe.
Pd: Not recommended if you are on a diet, because you’re going to eat….
We are vegan but this is my favorite recipe so I sub out the sausage for sliced artichoke hearts and the chicken stock for veg stock. It comes out perfect every time! Thank you!
So glad I found this recipe! I knew it had to be good when it comes up first in Google over Rachael Ray and Giada De Laurentiis! Anyway, the recipe itself was very simple and easy to make. I have a cold so it was nice to whip up something homemade, delicious, and in little time. It is also a keeper recipe because my husband, who “doesn’t like soup”, kept commenting about how delicious and hearty it was! 😉
Thank you for sharing your recipe, I will have to check out more–they all look phenomenal!
Vegetarian just omit the meat!!! I made this as is but no meat, no substitutes no additions. Except I did serve with crushed chilli flakes and parmesan cheese. Fabulous. I may try adding one cup broth and one small chopped up zucchini next time but it really is perfectly delicious and hearty without. Definitely cook pasta separate and add to bowl then pour soup over top. Great texture.
I made this the other night for dinner and it came out fabulous! I can’t wait to have the leftovers tonight for dinner. Next time I think I’m going to add some more veggies, maybe some kale and zucchini. Yummy!
How big is the serving? A cup? Cup and a half?
About 1-2 cups.
I made this today, and now waiting for the dough to finish rising to put breadsticks in the oven for dinner tonight. I used sweet Italian sausage, and garlic powder, instead of garlic. I now have a new comfort food. Thanks for posting.
I have made this recipe several times and my family absolutely loves it. I made it for my parents when they visited and they loved it too. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Planning in making it tonight again.
You say to saute the vegetables until tender (3-4 minutes) and then to simmer until the vegetables are tender (10-15 min). This seems to be contradictory.
I’d expect that the first step is to cook until the onions are tender, and the second until the carrots are tender. Any thoughts?
Carl, you want to saute the veggies first, letting them caramelize a bit. Then they can get nice and tender when they simmer. But as always, please do what you are most comfortable with to suit your preferences.
Awesome recipe! Easy to make and absolutely delicious!
Chungah, I just wanted to say thank you. I’m a full-time high school teacher and mom of three boys (6, 4, & 2), and I found myself struggling to make food that actually tasted good in a short amount of time. Then I came upon your recipes, and there isn’t a dish I’ve made that my family hasn’t devoured. So thank you, thank you, thank you. You truly have blessed our family! And it may be 90 degrees outside, but this soup is divine!
OMG this is exactly like what we had last week! Sooo delicious! Wonderful recipe!
Made this tonight. Absolutely delish! Only change made was used Turkey Italian Sausage and zucchini. So good! Will make again. Thanks for sharing.