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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This soup is my new favorite!!!
I forgot to add the beans and loved the soup so much that I did not want to alter it in any way so elected to leave them out. That said, without the beans, it turned out to be just delicious. I doubled the recipe using 1 lb. hot Italian sausage and 1 lb. mild. I also added about 12 oz. of spinach. My changes are trivial. This is a fantastic soup and with or without them. Thank you for a great recipe that my family thoroughly enjoyed.
I made this yesterday and it was fantastic. Everyone at work lived the bowl I made for them at well. I did tweak it a little too make it my own. I used beef stock, sauteed bacon, hamburger, Italian sausage and hot sausage. I used a 3 bean mix of pinto, kidney and black beans. I pureed a who can of seasoned butter beans and added it to the liquid before adding the pasta. Half a jar of fire roasted red bell pepper to the mirepoa and OMG just so good.. definitely making this again..
Love this recipe! Been using it for several years. Ans truly is perfect as is.
I just started doing 2 little things different. I add 2 cans of diced tomatoes. And the other is I get and extra can of great northern beans and a puree it, then stir it in the soup. Gives the soup a creamy thickness to it.
Delicious. Definitely comfort food! Great recipe, it’s like an Italian chili! I used pork and beef which Balanced the flavors. Will definitely make again.
Delicious. Definitely comfort food! Great recipe, it’s like an Italian chili! I used pork and beef which Balanced the flavors.
Best recipe yet. Delish!
I keep this recipe on hand and make it several times a year! My family loves it! It’s simple and delicious!!!
I’ve made this a few times and it always turns out great!
I’ve made this soup many times–it’s absolutely perfect! It makes enough for a family, plus it’s hearty. It’s comfort in a bowl!
100* Italian , this is the best pasta Fajoli I’ve ever eaten , even better than grandmas . I do add some pepper flakes . I freeze the leftover for future dinners.
Easy and delicious,what more could you want in a soup. Tastes even better the next day so perfect to make for work lunches for the week.
So delicious, easy and adaptable! I wish celery was not so expensive right now!
I threw in a bit of parmesan rind when it was simmering.
Delicious! This tastes better than Olive Garden!
This recipe is superb! I’ve made it many times and it is always a hit. It is jam-packed with nutritional goodies.
How may calories in a serving
From my calculations approx 328 cal/ serving but this doesn’t tell you the serving size so I’m assuming per 1 cup
Olive Garden has kale in it also. I’m about to try this recipe as it sounds very good, but I’ll add some spinach (don’t have or like kale). Thanks for the recipe.
Yay! Soup season is back and this recipe was first on the rotation! Love this soup!! I have yet to find a recipe of yours that hasn’t been delicious. I may cut back on the pasta, but other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing!
Love love this soup. The only thing I do differently is cook pasta separate and add to be individual bowls and I add a good splash of white vinegar at the end for a burst of flavor. So good. Thank you.
This is one of my all-time favorite soup recipes! I have to say that I never had Olive Garden’s version because I really don’t think they serve healthy food overall and I avoid most chain restaurants for that reason. Good quality sausage from a local butcher shop really makes this dish shine – I try to get a chicken or turkey mild Italian sausage. If you have homemade chicken stock, definitely use that and I also use 2 cans of the Great Northern or white cannellini beans and leave out the kidney beans. I add a bit of pasta to the bowls then ladle soup over so the pasta doesn’t get overcooked. I only freeze the soup part, not pasta and just make some fresh pasta for that batch as others have commented. This recipe is just amazing!