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.
Definitely going to try it
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! :)
Loved this recipe and so did the whole family. Tastes just like OG. Thanks for sharing!
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!
This was delicious! Thank you so much for posting this.
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 recipe is now a tope ten for my family! Yum yum yum.
I made this last night and it was so good! Perfect cold weather food. LOVE your blog and recipes!!!
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!
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!
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.
just made my 1st pot of pasta fagioli. About to dig in on this rainy day in S. Florida.
Thanks!
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.