With summer in the rearview mirror and cooler temps upon us, it feels fitting to share the comforting recipe for Pasta e Fagioli with you today! This rustic soup is warming, filling, healthy, and feeds an army too!
What is Pasta e Fagioli?
Pasta e Fagioli is a traditional Italian soup made with pasta and beans. It’s inexpensive, made with everyday ingredients, and is the perfect dish to whip up on a Sunday afternoon (glass of wine in hand for an extra dash of cozy!) then enjoy for Sunday dinner. Leftovers reheat beautifully for easy lunches all week long, OR you can transfer the soup into Ziplock freezer bags and freeze flat for another time!
Pasta e Fagioli Ingredients:
Like I said, the ingredients for Pasta e Fagioli are humble, simple, and easy to find. I bet you’ve got most if not all of them on hand in the fridge and pantry right now.
- Ground beef. I prefer using 85/15 or 80/20 ground beef in soups and stews as it stays tender without drying out.
- Fresh vegetables: carrots, celery, onions, and garlic not only flavor the Pasta e Fagioli, but make it wholesome and nutritious.
- Crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce.
- Beef broth.
- Kidney and Great Northern Beans. Inexpensive, filling, and packed with nutrients.
- Short cut gluten free pasta.
- Seasonings and herbs: salt, pepper, oregano, basil, dried parsley, and thyme.
- Parmesan cheese. Both grated parmesan cheese and parmesan cheese rind flavor this soup.
I mentioned that this soup freezes very well. Since gluten free pasta doesn’t hold up well to freezing after cooking though, I advise you cook the gluten free pasta fresh then add to the soup after thawing from frozen.
Allllrighty, let’s cook!
How to Make Pasta e Fagioli Soup:
Start by browning ground beef in a large soup pot, seasoning with homemade seasoned salt and pepper. Drain if there’s a lot of grease then return to the pot and add sliced carrots, celery, shallot or onion, and garlic. Saute for 10 minutes, stirring every so often.
Next add a crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, light red kidney beans, great northern beans, plus dried oregano, dried basil, dried parsley, dried thyme, and a parmesan cheese rind, which will give the soup depth of flavor like you wouldn’t believe!
Bring the soup up to a bubble then turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 50-60 minutes, or until your desired consistency is reached, stirring every so often. I like my Pasta e Fagioli to be almost ragu-like, so I simmer for a full hour.
Just before eating, cook up your favorite gluten free short cut pasta – I use elbows – then add to bowls and scoop the hot Pasta e Fagioli on top. Stir to combine, top with freshly grated parmesan cheese, then dig in! I hope you enjoy this hearty, filling dish!
More Cozy Soups To Try:
- One-Pot Chicken and Rice >
- Vegetable Beef and Rice Soup >
- Smoked Sausage, White Bean and Spinach Soup >
- Italian Sausage and Vegetable Soup >
- Signature Chili >
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Pasta e Fagioli
Description
Pasta e Fagioli is hearty, filling, easy and inexpensive to make. This gluten free soup recipe is the epitome of comfort food!
Ingredients
- 1lb ground beef
- 1 cup baby carrots or 1 large carrot, thinly sliced
- 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
- 1 small onion or large shallot, chopped
- homemade seasoned salt and pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 15oz can tomato sauce
- 15oz can beef broth + more for reheating
- 15oz can light red kidney beans, undrained
- 15oz can great northern beans, undrained
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2x2" parmesan rind (optional) + freshly grated parmesan cheese for topping
- 8oz short-cut gluten free pasta
Directions
- Brown ground beef in a large soup pot over medium-high heat, seasoning with homemade seasoned salt and pepper. Drain if theres a lot of excess fat then return beef to the pot. Add carrots, celery, onion or shallot, season again with seasoned salt and pepper then saute for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic then continue to saute for 3 more minutes.
- Add all remaining ingredients except the pasta to the pot then turn heat to high to bring to a bubble. Turn heat down to medium then simmer for 50-60 minutes or until soup has thickened, stirring occasionally.
- When soup has 15 minutes left to cook, cook pasta in boiling water then drain and divy up between bowls. Remove parmesan cheese rind from soup then scoop over pasta and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
I am so excited to see this recipe! Just the other day I was wishing for this soup, but sadly there aren’t any Olive Garden’s in my area. Perfect timing, thanks :) Get well soon!
lol i ve read both blog posts and i still can’t figure out the “meth teeth” reference
Hahaha, it’s right below the picture of the wines in the wood box with the name “Corison” on it:
http://iowagirleats.com/2012/09/11/napas-must-see-dive-winery-iron-chef-morimoto-and-me/
Yummy! Definitely making this soon! :)
Love olive garden’s salad and breadsticks! This soup definitely has me craving soups and chili. Time to break out the crockpot.
Sounds delicious. I love any combo or meat, tomatoes and pasta. :) And I guess veggies too……
Pinned it! I love Olive Garden’s soup.
My husband has a bad cold too. It is so hard to avoid a cold when living with a sick person. Ick
Thank you for this post! Anytime I eat out & there is Pasta Fagioli Soup on the menu I have to try it! I have the sniffles today too~ going to make this tomorrow! You are the best~
Once it cools down more here, I am making this delicious recipe. Hope you feel better soon! I enjoy your wonderful postings every day.
You are so amazing!!! I have been dreaming for the day where I could find a legitimate recipe for the longest time.
Dream came through :)
I made a big pot of Chicken Tortilla Soup tonight! The weather just called for it. It’s supposed to be a gorgeous weekend, though!
This looks so good! I love making a big pot of soup on Sundays to take for lunch all week. Can’t wait to try this–thanks!
This soup looks delicious, and I just want to let you know that you’re my hero for making food while sick. When I have a cold, it’s pretty much only microwave mac and cheese for me!
I just made a copycat recipe of their chicken and gnocchi soup. It was great and now I’ll have to make this!
Pasta e Fagioli is my favorite soup at OG and I get it every time! Also, I used to love Cheddar’s when I lived at home. I don’t have any around where i live now and most people haven’t even heard of it! I used to always get their chicken fingers and a virgin strawberry daquiri when I was younger. Delish!
FYI for future reference, the skeevy liquid in the beans is actually good for you. This is where all of the starch from the beans are. If you include this starchy liquid, it acts as a thickening agent to any soup.
Whilst I don’t doubt it’s good for you, if you have a sensitive disposition with beans (i.e, they give you wind!) It’s better to drain and rinse them. It helps reduce the gassy effect!
Mine’s not an fabulous Napa trip hangover, but I too have a nasty cold. Yesterday’s chilly, wet weather + my feeling awful had me in the kitchen baking cookies & making chili. I’m not ready to say goodbye to summer yet but boyyyy was it awesome smelling and warm in our house!
It’s only 70 here in San Antonio….which feels really fall like :) I’m glad you shared the recipe – I’m cooking it tonight!!!
I’m usually not into super tomatoey soups, but this looks sooooooo good!
Whenever we go to OG I always get the Pasta e Fagioli, salad and breadsticks!! This weekend I’m making beef barley, but this will definitely be one for next weekend. There is a girl at work that has had that same head cold all week and I’ve been praying that I don’t get it. Hope you feel better soon.
I adore this soup and now you’ve got me craving some! This actually would be pretty easy to make in college. So I was wondering, why use tomato sauce and not just more crushed tomatoes? And what exactly is tomato sauce?
I read over and over your Pasta e fagioli and I had to make a comment…although it look very hearty there is no meat in the original Pasta e fagioli if you prefer the only meat there would be is cotica which I don’t what it is in english.
It’s me again the Cotica that I mentioned above is like “pancietta” or “guanciale” which are both from pork but never meat as beef.
Yum! I have a gazillion cherry tomatoes out in the garden that are going in this soup tomorrow.
Made it tonight. So good! I did use ground beef, but I also added some italian sausage. I also used fresh basil since I still had some in the garden. I will definitely make this again. Thanks!
Pasta e Fajoili Soup (Mozelle Robb)
1/2 lb. Ground beef
3 cans minestrone soup
2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans
1 (14.5 oz) can Italian diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn
1 (10 oz) can rotel tomatoes
brown ground beef, add all cans undrained.
Easy Pasta e Fajoili Soup
1-2 lb. Ground beef
3 cans minestrone soup
2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans
1 (14.5 oz) can Italian diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn
1 (10 oz) can rotel tomatoes
brown ground beef, add all cans undrained.
[…] Pasta Fagioli – […]
I made this tonight and it turned out great! I made just a couple substitutions including using textured vegetable protein instead of ground beef (I’m trying to eat less meat), added a box of frozen spinach just to sneak in some more vegetables, and thinned the soup a bit with some of the pasta water. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks, Kristin!
We made this last night and it was amazing–Such strong and solid flavor! Holy cow! Plus I love that we had enough to free half for later.
Only modification was we cut back on the salt a bit.
just made my 1st pot of pasta fagioli. About to dig in on this rainy day in S. Florida.
Thanks!
AMAZING soup! My hubs was totally impressed that I made this tonight. I told him it was another IGE recipe – winner! This will be in our permanent rotation this winter.
Found your recipe on Pinterest. Making it right now for dinner. Just finished adding everyone in the tub and I just had to have a little taste and YUMMY. It’s not even done yet and it tastes fabulous!! Looks tasty, smells delicious and I can not wait to enjoy it with some homemade bread tonight. Thank you!!! :)
So great to hear! FYI – leftovers are even better!
[…] e Fagioli Soup (Olive Garden Copy) Slightly adapted from Iowa Girl Eats Serves 4 (at […]
Hi, I’m having a cold too and would love to try this tonight! Got a question though, if I were to use fresh kidney beans and fresh crushed tomatoes, how should I proceed? Eagerly waiting for your advice.. :)
Hey Syifani! Here’s an article about cooking dried beans: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Vegetables/driedbeantip.htm and one for peeling fresh tomatoes: (which I would then pulse in a food processor or chop fine. I hope you feel better!
How do I make this with fresh kidney beans? I got them from a farmer’s market near my house, as canned ones aren’t that popular around here. Also, northern beans are unheard of around here. Any substitutions I can use? :(
Here’s some info about cooking fresh kidney beans: http://thehousingforum.com/how-to-cook-kidney-beans/ Also you could use Cannellini beans instead of Northern!
[…] SOURCE […]
I made this last night and it was so good! Perfect cold weather food. LOVE your blog and recipes!!!
[…] MUST make this soup! Like, you HAVE GOT TO MAKE THIS SOUP. Delish! Well, except for the fact I added too much […]
[…] Source: Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats […]
This recipe is now a tope ten for my family! Yum yum yum.
[…] and the car slowing down. IT WAS BREAKFAST TIME!We rarely ate out as a family growing up – save for everyone’s birthday dinner – and my Mom always packed a cooler full of turkey sandwiches and carrot sticks for long car […]
I have been wanting to try this soup at home since my hubby and I had it at a little Mom & Pop pizza place in North Carlonia so I came across your blog when I googled Pasta e Fagioli. Made it today, but used my trusty crock pot cause I wasn’t sure how late I’d be working….I loved it my hubby loved it and my 14 yr old stepson couldn’t get enough. Love your blog and looking foward to following you.
This was delicious! Thank you so much for posting this.
This was awesome! Made it tonight, had some for dinner and now my hubby has lunch for a couple days…makes a lot! So easy to make and soooo good. Only thing I changed was doubled the garlic and didn’t put in a parm ring. I will try it next time with half italian sausage for the meat like someone suggested. Thanks for the recipe!
Loved this recipe and so did the whole family. Tastes just like OG. Thanks for sharing!
[…] LINK: Copycat Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup | Iowa Girl Eats. […]
[…] Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli Soup […]
I pinned this a while back and am finally going to get around to making it. My toddler loves this type of soup, and I’m excited to give it a shot at home. My husband is Italian, so Olive Garden stuff is usually off limits, but I used to go there a lot and always loved this soup. Thanks for the recipe! :)
Definitely going to try it
[…] For more details please visit this link : iowagirleats […]
My husband loves this type of soup!!!Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for the recipe I made today and very good for this cold day in April