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Our Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup copycat recipe tastes just like the soup from the restaurant! The best part? This low-maintenance recipe slow cooks all day, allowing everything to simmer together for hours for maximum flavor!
This Pasta e Fagioli Soup is one of my family’s most favorite cold weather meals. It reminds me of fall leaves, football season, sweaters and cozy fires. It’s my top choice at Olive Garden every time we go there to eat, so I decided to find a way to make it at home. This copycat recipe tastes exactly like what you get at Olive Garden (maybe even better)!
What is Pasta e Fagioli Soup?
This popular Italian soup literally means “pasta and beans” so that’s what you’ll find in this dish, along with ground beef, Italian seasonings in a rich tomato based broth. Pasta E Fagioli is very similar to another hearty favorite, minestrone soup, but they are not the same. The difference between these two soups is minestrone uses several different veggies and Pasta e Fagioli features onion, celery and carrots for flavor, but no other vegetables.
Notable Ingredients
Ground Beef – For this recipe I like to use lean ground beef (93%/7%). If the beef is too fatty, then it makes the soup very oily. You can also sub the beef for Italian sausage, bacon, or pancetta.
Onion, Carrots, and Celery – This combination of savory vegetables is often called a mirepoix. Together, they create a base of flavor for the soup. White onion or yellow onion both work great.
Red and White Kidney Beans – It wouldn’t be Pasta e Fagioli without the fagioli! As you might have guessed, fagioli means beans. I like to use dark red kidney beans and also white kidney beans, great northern beans, or cannellini beans.
Spices – The spice mix for this recipe includes oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper. If you want to expand on the flavor profile, then consider adding garlic powder, garlic cloves, basil, thyme, or a few bay leaves.
Ditalini Pasta – Ditalini pasta is the pasta that Olive Garden uses, but you can use other shapes like small shells, wagon wheels, or elbow macaroni noodles. Cook the pasta to just barely al dente, as it will soften in the soup.
How to Make Pasta Fagioli Soup
I love how easy this recipe is to make. It’s as easy as browning the beef then adding it with all the other ingredients to a Crock Pot and letting it slow cook all day. Here’s what to do:
- Brown the beef – If you want, you can add the chopped onions at this step too. The onions cook long enough to soften completely either way so it doesn’t really matter when you add them.
- Add remaining ingredients (except for the pasta) – Add the beef and all of the rest of the ingredients except for the pasta into the Crock Pot. If you add the pasta at this point it will get way too overcooked. Its best to add it at the end.
- Add the pasta – Cook the pasta only to al dente, drain, and then add it to the soup right before serving. That’s it! Add any toppings you like for garnish and serve.
Tips and Suggestions
This pasta Fagioli recipe makes a LOT of soup (approximately 20, 1 cup servings) so it’s a terrific recipe for feeding a crowd. I almost always have leftovers and they heat up great for lunches later in the week. You can also cut the recipe in half if you are just feeding a small family.
This soup freezes well. Store in freezer safe containers or Ziploc bags in the freezer for up to two months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! You will need a very large pot, or you will need to half the recipe. Brown and drain the beef, and add it, along with all other ingredients besides the pasta, to a large pot. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then turn heat to low bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender. Cook pasta according to package directions and add to soup before serving.
They are the same! Pasta Fazool is a nickname for pasta e fagioli that comes from New York Italians.
Make it a Meal
When we make Pasta e Fagioli soup we like to pretend that it’s unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks at Olive Garden. Try it with our copycat Olive Garden Salad and some warm bread such as our homemade breadtwists, garlic breadsticks, focaccia, or our delicious Italian Cheesy Bread recipe.
More Slow Cooker Soups to Try
Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup
Equipment
- Crockpot Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 shredded carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (16-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
- 1 (16-ounce) can white kidney beans, drained
- 4 cups beef stock
- 3 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoons dried parsley, plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
- 1 (24-ounce) bottle Prego Traditional pasta sauce
- 8 ounces ditalini pasta
- Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Drain fat.
- Add beef and all ingredients except the pasta and Parmesan cheese into a large slow cooker. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
- Before serving, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to soup.
- Serve in bowls topped with Parmesan cheese and parsley if desired.
I wasn’t crazy about all the beans in it. But, that’s just me! The rest of the family and friends love it.
Perfect soup for cool days, just like Olive Gardens
Thank you, Ruth. I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
This was very yummy, especially on a cold night! I did modify some, due to what I had on hand or by mistake. I used 1/2 LB each ground beef and ground Italian sausage (1lb total was plenty of meat!), can of diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning, 3 tsp of basil instead of oregano (I grabbed the wrong jar), 1 tsp of pepper (not 2), and Classico sauce with basil. Served it with fresh shredded Parmigiano and italian bread. Thanks for the recipe, we will definitely make it again!
Great ideas!
Lovely. At our house, I cook a full pound of pasta and serve it on the side. Some of my crew like a little pasta in their soup, some like a little soup in their pasta and nobody likes the way the pasta soaks up the broth and gets mushy in the fridge. Because there will be leftovers and it’s almost better the second day.
Yes, that is a great idea to serve the pasta separately to allow people to control how much is in their bowl!
I have made this recipe many times over the years. It’s a fall favorite of the whole family. Hearty, healthy and filling. And makes a generous batch for days of leftovers (a lifesaver for our busy after school activities). Huge hit in our house!
Delicious!!!!
This taste is good or better than the restaurant soup. I like the Italian flavor.
This is my go to pasta soup recipe each winter. I make a bread machine egg bread to go with. Yummy!😋
Made it this morning for an after-funeral luncheon hosted at my church. We had a variety of soups, salads, rolls, brownies and cookies. I topped it with shaved parmesan and Italian Parsley. I used Italian ground sausage rather than ground beef, and chicken stock rather than beef. Everyone who tried it loved it and my huge pot of soup was emptied quickly.
It was beautiful. Wish I’d saved some for myself.
Simply delicious
Love this recipe.
I use Italian sausage instead of ground beef. So good
I was hoping this recipe was made in a crockpot! I wanted to make it while I was golfing. This way the house smells like you have a private chef who cooked all day.
Much better idea than a Dutch oven that has to be babysat.
This recipe is so easy and delicious. I used ground turkey instead of beef- I have a teen that does not eat red meat. It still turned out fantastic! Also made it both ways, Stovetop and crock pot. Thumbs up for both.
I make this every year for my annual Halloween Pumpkin Carving Party!! Great for kids and adults. A party favorite 🙂
Yummmmmy!!! Very Delicious! Oh boy!!
All recipes are highly recommend