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.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
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Thanks for the recipe, it’s a big hit with my family! My young boys are notoriously picky, so I’m glad to find something to add to the menu. This last time I didn’t precook the noodles and just added them at the same time as the tomato sauce and stock. I also experimented with adding zucchini (trying to get the veggies in any way I can with my kids, lol).
I have been making this soup for about a year and everybody loves it. I had this soup for the first time at Olive Garden last night and this recipe is definitely better than the one served at the restaurant. Thanks!
I’m a university student and I made a pot of this the other night… It froze beautifully and now I have a good healthy dinner to eat when I don’t feel like cooking – and it reminds me of my Italian family back home. Thank you for this!! Love your site
Thank you SO much for posting this recipe! I went to a girlfriend’s house this weekend and she made this for dinner. It was so easy, seriously she was done chopping, adding and cooking within 35 minutes. That’s incredible for a woman with two children under the age of 2! Literally made this after she sent me your URL and have been raving about it around the office. You’re recipe is now on three of my co-workers dinner menus this week! ♥
Thank you for sharing!
P.S. I try not to eat a lot of pasta so I subbed the noodles with cut up cooked shrimp (from Costco) instead. It’s like a Jumbo and it’s just as amazing. Thank you!
Deeeeelishhhhh!!! This was so easy to make and so delicious, but I agree that it needs a little bit more chilli / cayenne so will add that next time even though I used a pasata with added chilli as well as the spicy sausage. This is definitely going to become a staple in our house!
Made this tonight and it was delicious!!!
I just made this and I’d have to say it’s the best soup I’ve made so far! I did use 28oz of tomato sauce instead of 16 and. 10oz can of diced tomatoes with chili peppers in it so it has a little more of a kick but it’s so good!!! Thanks 🙂
Wow! This soup is SO good!
It’s a cold wet Sunday here in New Hampshire, so we have a fire going in the wood stove and this soup simmering in the kitchen.
I’ve been “taste testing” as it simmers, and it’s excellent!
Thank you for a wonderful recipe. I made this today and it is spot on and I think even better than OG. Love your blog!
Love this soup. Never had it at Olive Garden so your version is the first time I’ve ever tasted it. And man is it good. The sausage gives it enough kick and I love the thickness of it over time. I find that reheating it releases the extra liquid to soak it up with some crusty bread. Thank you for the recipe love your images and blog
This was wonderful!
This came out delicious. I used a combo of spicy sausage and beef and added some sage, rosemary and Fennel. The addition of chicken broth gave this a very hearty multi layered flavor. It was perfect for a co;d day like today.
Fabulous! Just tried it and it turned out damn delicious! Ha-ha! I tweaked the recipe a little: ground sirloin, 3/4 cup dried cranberry beans cooked in a pressure cooker for 22 min on high, cannelloni beans, no added water, pinch of sugar, only 1/2 cup pasta, and crushed red pepper for zing! Awesome recipe 🙂
Awesome recipe!! My fiancé LOVES it. I make it for him a lot. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Loved this version… my whole family loved it … delicious
Hi- so I’d like to freeze a batch of this soup for later use. Can I make it all – omitting the pasta, freeze it and then simply thaw and add pasta when needed?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Olive Garden website actually lists hamburger instead of sausage…so I am really excited to try this recipe but I think I will substitute the sausage with beef. I want it to taste as much like the OG version as I can…it is like food for my soul! SO GOOD!! Especially with the cold and rainy week like we have had. Welcome to Fall ya’ll!! 🙂 Can’t wait to make this 🙂
Despite the 90 degree temp outside, I tried this recipe for the first time today – and it was A-MAZ-ING!! I followed this recipe exactly as it said – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! 🙂
Made this last night – what a hit it was!! My boyfriend just kept telling me how delicious it was. Thank you for such a great recipe.
OH MY GOSH….I made this for my family and everyone of them from my hubby to my tiniest 4 year old LOVED it! I did make one small change though. I used my homemade beef bone broth instead of chicken broth. It’s WAY better thsn Olive Garden and no MSG makes my mama heart thrilled to serve it!