This pasta e fagioli is an easy Olive Garden copycat that’s loaded with fresh veggies, beans, ground beef, seasonings and tender pasta. This Italian soup is hearty for a satisfying meal!
Table of Contents
Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli
Olive garden is one of our favorite restaurants. Whenever we eat out, it’s always the first place my kids ask to go. We especially love their soups and often recreate them at home. This pasta e fagioli is a favorite, as well as zuppa toscana, minestrone and chicken gnocchi soup.
We’ve been making this pasta fagioli for a couple of years now and it is one of my family’s favorite soup recipes! Everyone loves it. I found the recipe in a church cookbook that my mom gave me and have adjusted it a bit since the first time I made it. I always like to play with the seasonings and measurements and try adding new things.
Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Lean ground beef: Brown the meat with salt and pepper first to seal in all the flavor.
- Vegetables: Chopped onions, garlic, carrot and celery build up the dish and add a great deal of flavor.
- Tomatoes: V-8 juice, tomatoes, tomato sauce give this soup an extra layer of tomato goodness.
- Water: The liquid makes the dish a soup rather than a stew.
- Beans: Great northern beans and kidney beans give the soup a bit of extra heartiness.
- Vinegar: The right amount of tang to help round out the acid of the tomatoes.
- Italian seasoning: Along with salt and pepper, this is all that is needed to add the right amount of flavor.
- Pasta: Ditalini pasta is traditional and is cooked to al dente before being added to the soup.
- Toppings: Shaved parmesan and fresh basil finish the soup perfectly.
How to Make Pasta e Fagioli
- Brown. Cook the hamburger in a large pan until brown. Season with salt and pepper, then add in chopped onions, garlic, carrot and celery. Sauté for about 5 more minutes, or until the veggies begin to soften.
- Simmer. Next add in the V-8, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, beans, vinegar and seasonings. Let the mixture simmer on medium-low heat for about 30 minutes. Make sure to stir the soup frequently throughout cooking.
- Cook pasta. At the 20-minute mark, boil the pasta in a separate pot until al dente. Then drain and stir the noodles into the soup.
- Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with shaved parmesan and fresh basil. We love serving this soup with warm Olive Garden breadsticks!
Tips + Modifications
- Buy prechopped onions, carrots and celery for convenience.
- For even more flavor, use a mixture of ground beef and Italian sausage.
- Use ground turkey instead of beef to make lighter.
- Ditalini is the traditional pasta to use for fagioli, but any other small shell pastas would work.
- For a thinner consistency, add an additional can of V-8 juice.
- Feel free to use a variety of beans, including cannellini beans, cranberry beans, red kidney beans, or borlotti beans.
- Serve with a green salad topped with Olive Garden salad dressing for a restaurant quality meal!
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Simply omit the ground beef and add another can of beans or more veggies to make it a bit heartier.
Sure. I would still recommend browning the meat before adding it and all of the ingredients (except the pasta) to a crockpot. Cook on low 3 to 4 hours and then add the cooked pasta.
You can make your own Italian seasoning with oregano, thyme, basil, sage, rosemary, and parsley.
The word pasta fazool (or pasta e fagioli) originated in Italy and means “pasta and beans.” These ingredients are the base for the Italian dish, however other veggies and meats are sometimes added in to enhance the flavor. I like to add in ground beef, onions, carrots, tomatoes and celery to bulk it up a little.
Freezing + Reheating
You can absolutely freeze this soup, however do not mix in the cooked pasta when freezing. It tends to get mushy when frozen and reheated. Simply prepare as directed, however leave out the pasta. Let cool and then pour into a freezer container or bag. Make sure to leave about an inch from the top so the soup has room to expand. Then store in freezer.
When ready to eat, thaw in fridge overnight. Then heat back up in a pot on the stove (or in the microwave) until warm. Cook the noodles in a separate pot while the soup is warming. Then drain the noodles and stir back into the soup before serving.
Love easy pasta recipes? Try this easy spaghetti with meat sauce, lasagna soup or recipe for bolognese sauce!
More Italian Soup Recipes
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Pasta e Fagioli
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ cup onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¾ cup carrots
- 1 cup celery
- 1 (11.5-ounce) can original V-8 juice
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup water (more if desired to thin)
- 1 (15-ounce) can Great Northern beans
- 1 (15-ounce) can Kidney Beans
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1-1 ½ cups Ditalini pasta (uncooked)
Optional for serving: Parmesan cheese and Fresh basil
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-heat, brown beef. Add salt and pepper. Stir in onions, garlic, carrots, and celery and sauté 5 minutes, or until tender.
- Add the V-8 juice, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, beans, vinegar, and Italian seasoning. Simmer 30 minutes on medium-low, stirring occasionally.
- In the last 10 minutes of soup cook time, in a separate pot filled with water, cook the pasta 7 minutes, or al dente. Be careful to not overcook as it will cook and additional minute in the soup. Drain and combine with soup.
- Ladle pasta fagioli into bowls and enjoy with parmesan and fresh basil, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: Beef, Beef, Dairy-Free, Dinner, Freezer-Friendly, Freezer-Friendly, Italian, Kid-Friendly, One Pot, One Pot, Pasta, Reader Favorites, Soups, Stovetop, Stovetop
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Made this today and it was delicious. Thanks for posting.
So glad to hear you enjoyed the Pasta E Fagioli! Thanks for the review :)
Amazing! In my opinion, even better then Olive Gardens! This was a huge hit with my family. Lots of flavor and super easy to make. Will definitely be making again. Thanks!
Glad your family approved, Kim. This is one of my favorite soups!
I have made this soup several times, it’s one of my favorites. I haven’t changed the recipe at all because I like it just as the way it is.
Glad to hear it, Dolores. This is a great one for fall!
This soup was made in Italy hundreds of years ago. It originally had no meat in it, because it was a Lenten dish.
Real Italian people still make it this way
I never put meat In It at all. It’s a really great soup with five kids of beans in cooked long and slow. Cook your ditalini separately and place it in the bowls when serving.
My all time favorite recipe! I add a little bit more pasta because my kids are pasta lovers.
I’m so happy to hear your kids love the recipe, Kendra :)
I love your recipes, and have tried several of them. I wondered if you have developed a recipe that is copycat of Olive Garden Margarita Chicken?
I don’t have one for that yet, but you could try this recipe and add pesto and a slice of mozzarella cheese the last few minutes of baking. https://www.iheartnaptime.net/bruschetta-chicken/
This was the best pasta fagioli I have ever had . Making it again next week for my brother who is a big fan of this soup. I know he will love it. Great recipe!
I’m so so happy to hear this, Joyce! Hope he loves it :)
Looks delicious! This is one of my favorite things at Olive Garden.
This was a such an easy and delicious dinner. A total keeper!
This came out dry for me. How do I add more liquid to it?
Hi! You can add another can of tomato juice.
This soup is the best! I made it for my daughter and son-in-law while they were here before Christmas. They loved it, and my daughter asked for the recipe.
I’m so glad they enjoyed it! Thank you for leaving a comment and review Trisha. :)
I made this for dinner tonight- it was delicious! It made a ton though haha one question: the beans. Do you drain and rinse them or dump the whole cans in, undrained? I wasn’t sure so I drained them, but then ended up adding some sugar because it needed something more (to me).
Hi Janae! I like to drain and rinse my beans but it is optional. :)
What spaghetti sauce do you recommend using?
Hi Kim! I just use a can of tomato sauce in this recipe, no spaghetti sauce. :)
Can this be made in crockpot & how many hours
Hi Holly! I haven’t tried it, but I think that would be fine!
soup is yummo!
Making this tonight, are they carrots and celery supposed to be whole or chopped ?
I shred the carrots and chop the celery. :)
Can this be freezed? If so what’s the best way to do so?
Yes, definitely! However, I would recommend cooking the pasta fresh and adding it to the base once thawed. I just freeze in a gallon ziplock freezer bag and thaw in the fridge over night. :)
What an easy recipe and full of flavor!! Thanks!
A delicious meal!