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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Was excellent. Even my 6 year olds enjoyed it! We like a little more thickness to our soups so I did add a small can of tomato paste. It did not alter the flavor, just thickened the soup a little.
Served it with salad and cheesy garlic bread.
You can thicken the soup by smashing some of the beans. That’s the way I like it
I’ve been making this for years, it’s a staple in my family’s request list (I sub the sausage for 1.5 ground beef). I suggest julienned carrots instead of diced the way The OG makes it. You can buy them this way for ease. To me, this texture makes a difference. Thanks for posting!
Made this the other night!! I’m so glad I found this recipe. Having read the reviews on here, I chose to only do a pinch of thyme! I would definitely make it again!
I love this soup. I use marjoram instead of thyme (thyme doesn’t like me) and I put a couple of parmesan cheese rinds in the pot while it’s cooking. The cheese rinds add another layer of rich flavor and make the soup almost silky. Most of the time, I forget to add the pasta.
I have made this as discribed and also with short cuts and either way is great. The easy version is frozen meatballs cut in 1/4 and browned with frozen onion/celery mix added 1 of the snack packs of carrots that is cubes (lunch box sized) and one jar of chunky spaghetti sauce. Add garlic and spices to taste. I pre cook the pasta and add to the hot soup as serving. I like to add kidney beans as well as the northern beans. I do not drain the beans or carrots because the liquid has lots of starch to thicken the soup. (Check for bpa in can liners) I adjust the broth to get the thickness I want. The original version also has a dash of Tabasco.
I added tomato paste. Made the favor of the soup better
Thank you for sharing! It’s absolutely amazing!
I omitted the meat and used vegetable broth
to make it vegan. I kept going back for more!
Delicious!!
Great recipe! Hubby loved it!!
Soooo yummy!! I just want to know who can prep this in just 10 minutes?!?! (excluding professional chefs and speed cutters!! )
Agreed, E!!!! So happy I’m not the only one who took longer to prep lol.
I made it tonight and it was delish!!! Prep was a good :30 minutes though. Granted, I am novice in the kitchen but still. It also took me longer to actually cook the meal. Maybe :25- 30 minutes.
I used 1 lb ground mild Italian sausage and a 1/2 pound of ground sirloin so my child wouldn’t think it was too spicy. I’d like to make the spicy version sometime. I also used only a 1/4 onion.
Served with salad and garlic knots.
My whole family LOVED it though. This is a huge win for a mama who doesn’t cook much from scratch.
This was a fabulous soup on a cold Idaho day. Stupid me did not follow the directions for the pasta. It was great when I first served it out of the pot. Then it sat for a while and turned into Pasta E Goulash! lol It was still great though. Thank you for the recipe. I wrote it down, and will be adding it to my permanent cookbook. My son loves Olive Garden’s take on this, but stated that mine was better. Unlimited soup and breadsticks in my kitchen is a great thing.
Can I come over for dinner?!
The recipe I had said to use V8 juice instead of tomato sauce. Also I read a tip one time after boilong ditali pasta to keep the pasta seperate and add in per bowl. This was a great idea so it doesn’t soak up all the liquid and look like a hotdish rhe next day.
What is the serving size? I see the Nutrition facts label but it doesn’t include serving size.
You would have to divide the full amount by 8 servings to get the serving size. Hope that helps!
This soup is so good and full filling.. I can have it every day for dinner… so easy to make .. thank you
Not spicy like Olive Gardens. That one has a bit of a kick to it.
My Olive Garden ruined it by taking the kick out a few years ago. Have to ask for crushed red pepper. Not the same.Only one with a littlekick is the Suppa Toscana.
Another recipe of yours that’s damn delicious This was a hit for everyone, even my picky, no beans kid. It’s requested to be made again!
We love hearing that!
Can this recipe be made in the instant pot? If so, what modifications are needed?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Loved this soup. Much better than Olive Garden. I used my home canned tomatoes, and cooked for a lot longer. Added uncooked pasta near the end. Ended up canning 7 pints for my lunch. Just open and heat up.
Nov.,27,2028 /pm
We have been eating this soup at Olive Garden when we go there…off&on owner 15 years…BUT today I made it & used this as a go by…..my version I added 2 fresh lbs sweet Italian Sauage, 1 cup of pasta as listed above, added 1 teaspoon of both onion & garlic powder (ran out of garlic), 1 20oz bottle of V8juice, after adding the tomato & cause & both cans of beans drained, I went back added 3/4cup more of pasta and all the chicken stock, then added 2 teaspoons Wooster sauce, and beef bounion I have with no salt.. I tasted it while it cooked 1.5hours on med, then turn it on low. For carrots, I used the very small snack packages of carrots as the are small,cook faster & fast much better.
Have enough to freeze and serve maybe for new years..
I think it’s great
Hi,I read through all the comments looking for serving size. You answered several readers saying that it’s 1 to 2 cups. But the nutritional macros are based on a specific measurement. Can you tell me which the macros are based on…1 OR 2 cups. If it’s 1 cup, calories are 340 per serving…if it’s 2 cups, it’s 680 calories per cup. The sodium is particularly important to me so knowing the correct serving size makes a big difference on how much I can have if the soup, health wise. Thank you!
You would have to divide the full amount by 8 servings to get the serving size. Hope that helps!
Love this soup. So quick and easy
Excellent!
I’ve read that this is not ‘authentic’ due to the addition of the mirepoix (diced onions, carrots, and celery) and the addition of the sausage. I’ve tried many ‘authentic’ recipes, and found them lacking. Sometimes it’s fun to make an authentic dish, but I prefer to make an a dish with ingredients that will yield the most delicious version of the authentic one. Thanks for sharing this!