Pasta e Fagioli Soup (Olive Garden Copycat)

4.97 from 122 votes
174 Comments

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Our Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup copycat recipe tastes just like the original. This hearty, Italian-seasoned soup is easily made in a slow cooker.

A bowl of pasta e fagioli soup topped with grated parmesan and parsley
Featured with this Recipe
  1. Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Recipe
  2. What is Pasta e Fagioli Soup?
  3. Ingredients in Fagioli Soup
  4. Tips for Pasta e Fagioli Soup
  5. Frequently Asked Questions
  6. What to Serve with Pasta Fagioli Soup
  7. More Slow Cooker Soups to Try
  8. How to make Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup Copycat
  9. Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup Recipe

Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Recipe

This Pasta e Fagioli Soup is one of our 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 the popular restaurant dish!

What is Pasta e Fagioli Soup?

This 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. 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.

A full ladle of pasta e fagioli soup


Ingredients in Fagioli Soup

  • 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.
  • Diced Tomatoes – Tomatoes help to make up the base of the soup broth. Make sure you don’t drain the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes and the juices to the crock pot.
  • 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.
  • Beef Stock – You can use beef stock, beef broth, or even chicken broth or vegetable broth in a pinch.
  • 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.
  • Tabasco Sauce – Tabasco sauce adds a little bit of spice and also a depth of flavor to this soup.
  • Prego Sauce – Prego Traditional tomato sauce is our favorite for this recipe.
  • 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.
  • Optional Toppings – This soup is perfect as is, but I like to top my bowl with grated parmesan cheese, parsley flakes, and red pepper flakes.
A breadstick being dipped in pasta e fagioli soup

Tips for Pasta e Fagioli Soup

  • This pasta Fagioli recipe makes a LOT of soup (approximately 20, 1 cup servings) so it’s a terrific recipe for feeding a crowd or if you like leftovers for lunches. It’ll stay fresh in the refrigerator for about a week.
  • This soup also freezes well, so store in freezer safe containers or Ziploc bags in the freezer for up to two months.
  • Make sure to use a large crock pot, or feel free to cut the recipe in half.
  • Pasta e Fagioli is delicious served with some crusty bread, our delicious Italian Cheesy Bread recipe, or one of my favorites, cornbread. Our Cake Mix Cornbread is goes perfectly with this soup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this soup on the stovetop instead of the crock pot?

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.

What is the difference between pasta e fagioli and pasta fazool?

They are the same! Pasta Fazool is a nickname for pasta e fagioli that comes from New York Italians.

How do I store leftovers?

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to three months.

Can this be made gluten-free?

Yes, you just need to sub out the pasta for a gluten-free pasta.

Is Pasta e Fagioli soup good for you?

Yes, this soup is hearty, filling, and loaded with protein and fiber.

What to Serve with Pasta Fagioli Soup

When we make Pasta e Fagioli soup we like to pretend that it’s unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks at Olive Garden. This soup is delicious with our Easy Breadsticks, Garlic Bread, or Breadtwists and Italian Salad or Wedge Salad.

More Slow Cooker Soups to Try

How to make Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup Copycat

A bowl of pasta e fagioli soup topped with grated parmesan and parsley

Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup

4.97 from 122 votes
Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup copycat recipe tastes just like the original. This hearty, Italian-seasoned soup is easily made in a slow cooker.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 15 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine Italian
Servings 20 servings

Video

Equipment

  • Crockpot Slow Cooker

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Drain fat.  
    Ground beef in a skillet
  • 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.
    pasta e fagioli soup in a crock pot before it is cooked
  • Before serving, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to soup.  
    Pasta E Fagioli soup in crockpot
  • Serve in bowls topped with Parmesan cheese and parsley if desired.
    A bowl of pasta e fagioli soup topped with grated parmesan and parsley

Notes

I love to serve this soup with crusty bread, breadsticks, or corn bread. 

Nutrition Information

Calories: 243kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 15gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 295mgPotassium: 645mgFiber: 5gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1726IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 3mg

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Comments

  1. Made this today. I will say it tastes a lot like Olive Gardens soup. A slight difference though. I’m surprised that the recipe didn’t call for any garlic or salt. I will add both next time. I will say this makes a TON. Almost didn’t fit my 6qt crock pot. I might scale back a bit next time too. Its delicious and I will be keeping this recipe. Thank you! I notice on some of these comments how people comment on how good this sounds but never have made it. I guess I dont understand why you would comment if you haven’t even made it yet. I notice that on a lot of websites though. Just kinda strange. 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    Made this today; halved the recipe. Italian sausage instead of hamburg, 3 1/2 c. broth, elbows, only kidney beans, a few red pepper flakes in place of the Tabasco. NO, no, no to Prego! Barilla pasta sauce with garlic and basil. A little sugar to cut the acidity. Cooked in the oven at 225 for about 5 hrs. EXCELLENT!

  3. 5 stars
    Forget cutting in half, I doubled it and cooked on the stove 4 hours. Served it with a salad and fresh baked baguettes, huge hit with entire family!

  4. This soup looks really good. I can’t wait to try it out.

    If making this soup (1/2 recipe) in a stockpot on the stove, how long do I cook it for? Thanks

    1. I would do it on low for at least an hour… you can really do it as long as you want though– as long as you add the pasta at the end!

  5. 5 stars
    This was outstanding. I actually followed the recipe 100%, which is rare for me and I am really happy I did. It’s fantastic. I nearly substituted the Prego Spaghetti Sauce for plain tomato sauce and some additional herbs, but I’m sure glad I didn’t. That Prego really makes the flavor. I will for sure be making this again!

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  7. 5 stars
    All I would say is have a HUGE crockpot! 🙂 I think it needed a little salt. Next time I will add the noodles as we serve it. I added it to the crockpot and the noodles sucked up all the juice, but it was still delicious!

  8. 5 stars
    I made this last night but I did 1 lb of Hamburger and 1 lb medium Italian sausage..it was WONDERFUL

  9. 5 stars
    I just made this today, my husband said it was better than Olive Garden’s. he is on a low carb diet so I am adding the cooked pasta to only the bowls of the people that want it. Perfect!

  10. 5 stars
    This is an excellent copycat recipe. This is my favorite soup at OG and you’ve nailed it. The only thing I changed is I added a little bit of crushed red pepper and sugar, I sautéed the onions and celery and garnished with grated Parmesan. It does make a lot so everyone at the office should be happy tomorrow along with what I’ll put in the freezer. I’ll leave out the pasta in the freezer batch and add it when I reheat. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Nice work.

  11. 5 stars
    I’ve made this twice now – I use the sodium-free beef broth granules, and instead of the water, I use low sodium V8 – and a lot of it. I also use tomato puree instead of the diced tomatoes. The ditalini pasta is perfect for this, and has a nice “bounce” when you bite it. I have a huge batch in the stockpot and plan on freezing most of it. Tastes great.

  12. 5 stars
    I just made this recipe tonight, but halved it based on the comments. It was fantastic! My husband ate thirds and said it was just as good as the Olive Garden’s. Thanks for posting!

  13. 5 stars
    This is good soup. I have also made it adding zucchini and summer squash slices . My daughter is a vegan , so I did this and cut out the meat, I also used broken pieces of spagetti for the pasta as it does not seem to soak up so much of the liquid.

  14. I’m going to make this tomorrow night. My biggest crock pot is 6 qt. It sounds like that won’t be big enough. Is an 8 qt stove top pan big enough or do I need to get my roaster out?

  15. I’ve learned through experience that you always leave noodles on the side and only put in your bowl not the soup unless it will all be eaten in one sitting

  16. This recipe is very good. The only problem I came across is that after adding the pasta it soaked up all the juices. So the soup became very thick. I think next time I try this, I’m going to add the pasta as I make the bowls. Seems like it would freeze well, which is a great thing because this makes a lot of soup.

    1. When did you add the noodles? You should be adding the cooked noodles at the very end, right before serving, as per the recipe, or they will soak up too much and become soggy.

  17. 5 stars
    I made this a couple of weeks ago! I was YUM MEE! My fam keeps asking me when I’m going to make it again. Thanks for posting!