Hearty and full of flavor, this simple Pasta e Fagioli Recipe is similar to the popular dish found at Olive Garden, but even better! Using a variety of kitchen staples, this soup comes together quickly, can simmer as long as you want, and you cook the noodles separately right before you’re ready to eat. Just ladle and devour, but don’t forget the parmesan cheese!
How To Make This Copycat Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Recipe
- Start with the mirepoix of onions, carrots, and celery. If celery isn’t your thing, you can get creative and substitute it with fennel or leek, or omit it entirely. You can also mince it to cleverly hide it’s texture while allowing the flavor to still infuse the soup.
- If you don’t have crushed tomatoes on-hand, you can swap it with diced tomatoes. Use the fire-roasted variety for a flavor boost!
- Lower the sodium content by using broths and canned beans that are reduced-sodium or sodium-free. I like going this route to control the level of salt and flavor.
- Swap the cannellini beans with great northern or navy beans, and dark red kidney beans can be swapped with light red kidney beans or pinto beans. It moves you a little further from the Italian flavor spectrum, but they work well in a pinch.
- Making the noodles separate from the soup allows you to meal-prep the soup days, or even months, in advance, as noodles get mushy when frozen. If you can’t find ditalini pasta, you can use rings, or elbows, or whatever else you have on-hand.
Simple Pasta e Fagioli Recipe
Hearty and full of flavor, this Simple Pasta e Fagioli Recipe comes together quickly with kitchen staples and tastes even better than the Olive Garden version! Serve with a simple side salad for a delicious dinner the whole family will love.
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Servings: 12
Calories: 506kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups sweet yellow onion diced
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 1 cup celery diced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ lbs italian sausage
- 2 tablespoons italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 2 15 oz cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz can dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 lb ditalini pasta
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then add the onion, carrots and celery and cook until softened, about 7-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes more. Add the Italian sausage and cook until no longer pink, breaking meat up into small pieces as it cooks, about 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients except for the ditalini pasta and let simmer, covered, for a minimum of 20 minutes.
- While soup simmers, cook ditalini pasta in a separate pot, following the instructions on the box. Drain well and set aside. When ready to serve, scoop ½ cup of cooked pasta into a bowl, then top with the soup. Garnish with parmesan and enjoy!
Notes
- Start with the mirepoix of onions, carrots, and celery. If celery isn't your thing, you can get creative and substitute it with fennel or leek, or omit it entirely. You can also mince it to cleverly hide it's texture while allowing the flavor to still infuse the soup.
- If you don't have crushed tomatoes on-hand, you can swap it with diced tomatoes. Use the fire-roasted variety for a flavor boost!
- Lower the sodium content by using broths and canned beans that are reduced-sodium or sodium-free. I like going this route to control the level of salt and flavor.
- Swap the cannellini beans with great northern or navy beans, and dark red kidney beans can be swapped with light red kidney beans or pinto beans. It moves you a little further from the Italian flavor spectrum, but they work well in a pinch.
- Making the noodles separate from the soup allows you to meal-prep the soup days, or even months, in advance, as noodles get mushy when frozen. If you can't find ditalini pasta, you can use rings, or elbows, or whatever else you have on-hand.
Nutrition
Calories: 506kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 1413mg | Potassium: 863mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2154IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 6mg
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Barbara Donovan says
My family loved the dish. Very tasting. Froze the remaining sauce to use at a later time. Will definitely be making this again!