Gluten Free Pasta e Fagioli is hearty, filling, easy, and inexpensive to make. This soul-satisfying soup recipe is pure comfort food!
With summer in the rearview mirror and cooler temps upon us, it feels fitting to share the comforting recipe for Gluten Free 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, and is a cinch to make gluten free. 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. Be sure to use gluten free tomato products – not all brands ensure ALL their tomato products are GF! I like Red Gold.
- Beef broth. I like Pacific, HyVee, or Progresso brands of gluten free beef broth.
- Kidney and Great Northern Beans. Inexpensive, filling, and packed with nutrients.
- Gluten free pasta. I use gluten free elbows, but any short grain pasta is fine. Or, you can use regular pasta if you don’t need to eat GF.
- 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.
Alrighty, 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 – again, 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 and Chilis To Try
- One-Pot Chicken and Rice
- Kickin Green Chili
- CrockPot White Chicken Chili
- Hamburger Soup
- Smoked Sausage, White Bean and Spinach Soup
- Sweet Corn, Kielbasa and Potato Soup
- Signature Chili
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 cup baby carrots or 1 large carrot, thinly sliced
- 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
- 1 small onion or large shallot, chopped
- homemade seasoned salt and pepper, see notes
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 15 oz can beef broth, plus more for reheating
- 15 oz can light red kidney beans, undrained
- 15 oz 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
- 8 oz gluten free elbows pasta, or another short-grain pasta
- freshly grated parmesan cheese for topping
Directions
- Brown ground beef in a large Dutch oven or 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 with more seasoned salt and pepper then saute for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic then continue to saute for 3 more minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients except the pasta to the pot then turn heat to high to bring to a simmer. Turn heat down to medium then simmer for 50-60 minutes, uncovered, 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.
Notes
- Click here for my Homemade Seasoned Salt recipe.
- Slightly adapted from Todd Wilbur
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
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!
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 SoupÂ
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.
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!
Yum! I have a gazillion cherry tomatoes out in the garden that are going in this soup tomorrow.
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.
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.
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?
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’m usually not into super tomatoey soups, but this looks sooooooo good!
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!!!
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!
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!
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!