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.
The pasta e Fagioli was perfect. It made a large amount and told my husband we could freeze some if he gets tired of it. We ate it all over 3 days. This is a favorite for us. So yummy.
Pasta Fagioli is one of my absolute favorite soups, and I’ve made many iterations over the years … but THIS — Wow! — this has got to be the best one yet. It’s a keeper and I know I’ll be making it for years to come.
Oh I’m so thrilled to hear it, Lauren! Thank you so much for your feedback! :)
I’m a soup lover too and honestly have made all these soups!!
Where did you get those cute bowls?
I think it’s from Target a few yeas ago!
Yum! This really looks and sounds incredible! It was always my favorite type of soup to order in a restaurant and I’ve never made it from scratch before, but I love how this recipe looks and definitely plan to make it soon!
This soup is better than OliveGarden -Wow. Just perfect. I followed the recipe exactly and it is perfect. Thank you soooo much.
I just made this for dinner tonight. It looks beautiful….just like picture and is delicious.
I made this for the first time last night and it’ll move into the monthly meal rotation – EXCELLENT. I used ground turkey and chicken broth instead of beef, and added extra minced garlic and diced onion to overcome the potential loss of flavor with the different meat
This recipe has become a staple in my house! I eat this year round and it is consistently good each and every time!
Excellent tastes just like Olive Garden’s my go to soup when I need to make something for my in laws.
Delicious soup.. one of the best soup menu of olive garden.
Can this soup be frozen?
I think that’d be fine, Terre!
This soup was excellent. I made a couple of modifications. I Used garbanzo beans along with the kidney beans. I also used 1 15.5 can of tomatoes and 1 8 oz can tomato sauce. My husband thought it was very good.