Pasta Fagioli Recipe – If you love the Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli, I think you’ll love this homemade version as much or more! Ready in 30 minutes!
Looking for more easy soup recipes? I think you’ll love our Classic Chili, Vegetable Soup, and Chicken Tortilla Soup.
Pasta Fagioli Recipe
Do I have a scrumptious recipe for you all today! I’ve mentioned before how my college friends and I would make our routine trek into Atlanta many, many moons ago and would always somehow wind up in Olive Garden. It was like our cars had automatic steering locked in on that place!
Since then, I’ve visited a time or two, but I’m not as frequent of a visitor as I was all those years ago. But one of my favorite things to order during the cooler months has always been their Pasta Fagioli. And over the years, I’ve worked to get the recipe as close to the original as possible. Since I’ve now made the recipe so that it is homemade and ready in 30 minutes, I think I should invite my college friends over for a bowl.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Quick and easy recipe. This dish comes together quickly and is ready to serve in 30 minutes.
Amazing Flavor. Simple, yet flavorful. The seasonings are just perfect in this easy recipe.
Favorite recipe. A must-make recipe in my house, even though it is ready in 30 minutes, it is also great for meal prep throughout the week.
What is Pasta Fagioli?
Pasta e Fagioli is the true name for this delicious soup. It is a traditional Italian soup when translated into English, its name means “pasta and beans.” Classically made with white beans, pasta, and vegetables, it can be made with or without meat.
Even though this recipe includes more ingredients than I normally include in recipes, it really couldn’t get much easier to whip up on a busy weeknight, for a soup buffet, for watching the game, or to cozy up on a chilly day!
Since this quick and easy one-pot recipe comes together in less than 30 minutes, it is one that you’ll most likely turn to time and again! At least I do!
How to Make Pasta Fagioli Recipe
Ingredients
- Meat: ground beef
- Vegetables: onion, carrots, celery, and garlic
- Broth: vegetable broth
- Tomatoes: diced tomatoes and tomato sauce
- Pasta: Ditalini pasta
- Beans: red kidney beans and great northern beans
- Seasonings: basil, oregano, thyme, salt, and black pepper
- Garnish (optional): Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley
Substitutions
Meat – you are looking for added flavor here. You can use ground beef as I do in this recipe or substitute it with diced bacon or pancetta, or even Italian sausage. To lighten the soup, you can also use ground chicken or ground turkey. If you are vegan or vegetarian or prefer a meatless soup, you can omit the meat altogether.
Broth – you can use vegetable broth, beef broth, or chicken broth in this recipe based on your preference.
Beans – I use red kidney beans and great northern beans as these are the closest to the Olive Garden recipe I love. You can also use cannellini beans or another favorite bean.
Pasta – I use Ditalini pasta (again, it is used in the Olive Garden version). You can also use any other small cut of pasta you have on hand or that your family enjoys. Elbow noodles work great, too!
Seasonings – In addition to the seasonings that I use in my recipe, you can also make your soup a little spicier by using a few dashes of hot sauce or adding red pepper flakes if you like.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Cook meat and vegetables. You’ll brown your ground beef in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Drain away the drippings from the beef and stir in your vegetables. Cook until the vegetables are just tender. You’ll notice that I’ve grated my carrots with a box grater. This reduces the cooking time for the carrots considerably.
2. Add remaining ingredients. Once the vegetables are fork-tender, I stir in my stock. For the stock, you can use vegetable stock, chicken stock, or even chicken broth based on what you have on hand or your personal preference. Along with the stock, stir in your tomatoes and tomato sauce, and spices. Bring the liquid to a boil, and then stir in your pasta and beans (including the liquid from the beans). If there is not enough liquid to cover the pasta, you can add water or additional stock to thin out the ingredients.
3. Simmer and serve. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer until the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes.
How to Make Pasta Fagioli Vegetarian or Vegan
Vegetarian – For a vegetarian version of this soup, simply omit the ground beef and use vegetable stock.
Vegan – For a vegan version of this soup, simply omit the ground beef, use vegetable stock, and omit the Parmesan as garnish.
How to Make Ahead, Store and Freeze
Make-Ahead:
To make ahead, allow the pasta fagioli to cool. Place into the refrigerator in an airtight container and store for up to 5 days.
Freezer Friendly:
To freeze, allow the pasta fagioli to cool. Place into freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months. To reheat, allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat over medium-low heat on the stovetop until heated throughout, about 15 minutes.
Here’s my Pasta Fagioli Recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Pasta Fagioli Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, shredded or finely chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (8-ounce can) tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1½ teaspoons fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1½ cups uncooked ditalini pasta
- 1 (15-ounce can) red kidney beans
- 1 15-ounce can great northern beans
- grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
- freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Brown ground beef in stockpot set over medium heat, stirring frequently until cooked throughout, about 5 minutes. Drain away any drippings from the beef and stir in the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and reduce the heat to low. Stir in the stock, tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and stir in the ditalini, along with the beans and their liquid. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the vegetables are tender and the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes.
- Serve warm with grated Parmesan cheese and parsley, optional.
Notes
For a vegetarian version of this soup, simply omit the ground beef and use vegetable stock. Vegan:
For a vegan version of this soup, simply omit the ground beef, use vegetable stock, and omit the Parmesan as garnish Make-Ahead:
Allow soup to cool. Place into the refrigerator in an airtight container and store for up to 5 days. Freezer Friendly:
Allow soup to cool. Place into freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months. To reheat, allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat over medium-low heat on the stovetop until heated throughout, about 15 minutes.
Substitutions
Meat – you are looking for added flavor here. You can use ground beef as I do in this recipe, or substitute with diced bacon or pancetta or even Italian sausage. To lighten the soup, you can also use ground chicken or ground turkey. If you are vegan or vegetarian or prefer a meatless soup, you can omit the meat altogether. Broth – you can use vegetable broth, beef broth, or chicken broth in this recipe based on your personal preference. Beans – I use red kidney beans and great northern beans as these are closest to the Olive Garden recipe I love. You can also use cannellini beans or another favorite bean. Pasta – I use Ditalini pasta (again, it is what is used in the Olive Garden version). You can also use any other small cut of pasta that you have on hand or your family enjoys. Elbow noodles work great, too! Seasonings – In addition to the seasonings that I use in my recipe, you can also make your soup a little spicier by using a few dashes of hot sauce or adding red pepper flakes if you like.Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
If you Google Pasta Fagioli Soup recipe, you’ll find a “bijillion” versions of this popular soup, some very similar to this, but this is the one I picked and we absolutely loved it. I used some turkey mild italian sausage in place of half the ground beef and McCormicks Italian seasoning mix for the herbs. Cooked the ditalini to al dente in a separate pot and used some of the pasta water for the soup. Everything else as written. Oh I added 2 small zucchini and 2 small red potatoes that were languishing. This recipe makes a ton of soup/stew, especially with my additions, so we will have some wonderful leftovers and I am taking some to an elderly friend who is homebound. Thank you Robyn. I am a subscriber and appreciate your recipes and the work you do.
Thank you so much, Cheryl. This sounds good with the added zucchini and red potatoes.
Excellent recipe! Easy, delicious. and my family loved it! Thank you!!!
I’m so glad you and your family loved this. It is a favorite at my house.
I made your soup today. Loved it! I added Rotel tomatoes along w regular tomatoes, also used a can of black beans along w kidney beans. Thank you it was soo good!
Thanks, Linda. So glad you liked it!
I read the recipe over & over, nowhere did it say drain the liquid from beans.
You are correct Mary. You do not drain the liquid from the beans in my recipe. The recipe instructions toward the end of Step 1 say “Bring to a boil and stir in the ditalini, along with the beans and their liquid.” I hope this helps and you enjoy this! Thanks!
Hi Robyn quick question. I noticed the recipe calls for chicken or veg stock but in the video you used beef stock. Obviously any of these options would be delicious but I wondered which you think tastes the best. Thank you!
Enriched version of what we make. Beautiful ! Thank you so much !
Thanks for the yummy recipe! I cooked the pasta separately and combined right before serving to prevent overcooking.
You need to try this soup using italian sausage instead of ground beef or go half and half.
I love this recipe! Made it for dinner tonight and family loved it!
My Italian boyfriend makes pasta for me also everyweek and everytime I ask him but most of them are dried pasta. I’ve never tried with this type. And I love beans a lot, next time I definitely ask my bf to make this xD Looks so yummmmm!