I first tasted Pasta e Fagioli at Olive Garden during a snowstorm in December. My family and I had trudged through six inches of snow to get there, and that first spoonful of hearty, steaming soup was like a warm hug from the inside. The rich tomato broth, tender vegetables, and perfectly cooked pasta instantly became my cold-weather comfort food. After years of ordering it at the restaurant, I was determined to recreate this beloved soup at home—and dare I say, this version might just be better than the original!
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Homemade pasta e fagioli soup
This is a wonderful, hearty soup, perfect for a cold day. You could serve it with your favorite salad tossed with Olive Garden Italian Salad Dressing, or a hearty sandwich.
When you go to the olive garden, you have a first important choice: Are you a soup or salad kind of person? Olive Garden serves up four delicious types of soup. You can get the Chicken Gnocchi Soup, Zuppa Toscana, Minestrone Soup, or this Pasta e Fagioli.
All four soups are excellent. This one is hearty and perfect for enjoying with a large crowd.
Equipment Needed
- Large Dutch oven or stock pot (at least 8-quart capacity)
- Sharp knife for chopping vegetables
- Wooden spoon for stirring
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Can opener
Ingredients and Their Purpose
- Ground beef – Provides rich, savory flavor and hearty protein that makes this soup as satisfying as a main course
- Vegetable oil – Used to brown the beef and sauté the vegetables, creating a foundation of flavor
- Onion – Adds aromatic sweetness and depth to the soup base
- Slivered carrots – Contribute natural sweetness, vibrant color, and nutritional value
- Celery – Provides an earthy base flavor and pleasant texture contrast
- Canned diced tomatoes – Adds acidity, umami flavor, and creates part of the soup’s base
- Canned red kidney beans – They offer protein, fiber, and a firm texture that holds up well during cooking
- Canned white kidney beans (cannellini) – Provides a creamy texture and mild flavor that balances the heartier red beans
- Beef broth – Forms the savory liquid base and enhances the meaty flavor profile
- Dried oregano – Contributes classic Italian herbal notes that complement the tomato base
- Black pepper – Adds subtle heat and enhances the other flavors in the soup
- Tabasco sauce – Provides a hint of heat and depth without making the soup spicy
- Marinara sauce – Creates richness, body, and complex tomato flavor in the broth
- Small shell macaroni – Adds satisfying texture and makes the soup more filling
- Fresh parsley – Brightens the flavor and adds a fresh, herbaceous finish
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
For this soup, we are using canned beans to help reduce cooking time.
You can easily customize this fagioli soup recipe. Here are some ideas:
- Substitute the ground beef with Italian sausage, chicken, or turkey.
- Substitute beef broth with chicken broth.
- Substitute the white kidney beans with Great Northern beans.
- Substitute marinara sauce with tomato sauce.
- Substitute the small shell macaroni with elbow macaroni, ditalini pasta, or other small pasta.
- Substitute dried oregano with Italian seasoning.
- Add a little bacon or pancetta to the meat.
- Add some chopped cloves garlic to the meat after it has browned.
- Add other herbs such as basil and thyme.
How to Make Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli
Making Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli soup is so easy! Here’s how:
- Cook the beef in the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, breaking it up as it browns.
- Add onions, carrots, celery, and tomatoes. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add white and red beans, beef broth, oregano, pepper, Tabasco, and marinara sauce.
- Simmer until celery and carrots are tender, about 45 minutes.
- Add the pasta and simmer until it is cooked.
- Stir in the parsley before serving.
- To serve, sprinkle more fresh parsley on top if desired.
CopyKat Tip: Do not add the pasta if you plan on freezing the soup. Pasta does not freeze well. Just cook some pasta to add to the soup when you thaw and reheat it.
What to serve with homemade Pasta Fagiioli
Enjoy this soup with Olive Garden Chicken Marsala or some eggplant parmesan. It also tastes delicious with a simple grilled cheese or panini.
If you want a lighter meal, all you need is a warm dinner roll, breadsticks, Olive Garden Salad, or garlic bread to accompany it!
Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup (Copycat Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 12 ounces chopped onion
- 14 ounces slivered carrots
- 14 ounces diced celery
- 48 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 2 cups cooked, drained red kidney beans
- 2 cups cooked, drained white kidney beans
- 2 3/4 quarts beef broth
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 1/2 teaspoons pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
- 48 ounces marinara sauce
- 8 ounces small shell macaroni (or other small dried pasta shape)
- 5 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook the beef in the oil in a large stockpot, breaking it up until it starts to brown. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add the beans, beef broth, oregano, pepper, Tabasco, and marinara sauce. Simmer until celery and carrots are tender, about 45 minutes. Add the pasta and simmer until it’s cooked.
- Stir in the parsley before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Do you love Olive Garden? Try these copycat recipes!
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Be sure to check out more of my hearty soup recipes and the best Olive Garden copycat recipes here on CopyKat.com!
Storage and Reheating Instructions for Leftovers
- Refrigeration: Once cooled, store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- Freezing: This soup freezes beautifully for up to 3 months—but leave out the pasta! Pasta doesn’t freeze well, so either add cooked pasta when reheating or freeze the soup base only.
- Thawing: Thaw frozen soup overnight in the refrigerator.
- Reheating: Warm on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally until heated. If the soup thickens too much during storage, add a splash of broth when reheating.
Scaling the Recipe
- Smaller batch: This recipe makes about 9 quarts, perfect for large families or meal prep. For a smaller amount, simply cut all ingredients in half.
- For a crowd: The recipe as written serves about 12 people generously. For larger gatherings, increase the ingredients proportionally and use multiple pots if needed.
I did change a couple of things in this recipe. Olive Garden uses Ditalini pasta which is what I went with. I substituted Hot Italian Sausage for ground beef and it gave it a more authentic taste, and finally I eliminated the Marinara sauce and instead used 15 ounces of Italian style Diced Tomatoes and 16 ounces Tomato sauce.
It tasted exactly like it does in the restaurant. I have made it twice. It makes a bunch. Once I home canned a batch and opened it up after 5 years. It was as good as the day I made it.
Just made this for a church fundraiser on Superbowl Sunday. I pretty much stuck to your recipe except that I’m allergic to mammal meat and had to use Jennie-O’s Italian Turkey Sausage in place of the ground beef. (Hope you don’t mind!) Everyone that tasted this dish raved and wanted the recipe. Thank you for making this contribution to my table!
So happy this worked out for you!
By chance did you make this recipe with white vinegar a long time ago?
I do not think that was my recipe with an addition of white vinegar. I could see why this would work. A little acid always brings out the flavor.
When I simmer, both times, should it be covered or uncovered? Thank you
I would put the lid on both times.
I love it
Anyone make this in an Instantpot if so what are the settings? I just bought one and not that familier with it yet
What do I add to the soup because as the soup sits the pasta sucks up the juice
The pasta should not soak up all of the liquid, you may want to add some additional water or perhaps some V8 juice.
Boil your pasta separate, then add it to the soup
I have been making this recipe for a very long time, and I must make it about 3-5 times a year. I have never had to half the recipe because it always goes so fast. It is absolutely the best Pasta E Fagioli soup recipe out there. Whenever I serve it I get so many compliments on it. I recommend you make this soup, once you do it will become a family favorite and your go-to soup recipe. It is simply delicious!!
I made this recipe my husband said it was better than the restraints. It made so much I shared it with my neighbors and froze some too.
That’s awesome 😉
This is so delicious. I make it regularly and it is so good as leftovers! Just make some toasty garlic bread to go with it. Yum!
While I have not made this soup, being gluten sensitive I plan to fix it using my gluten free pasta. Should be fine.
I hope this works out well for you.
I have been making this soup for a few years now and it is always a huge crowd pleaser. I have been asked to make this soup to bring places, and I have been asked for the recipe on countless occasions. I follow the recipe pretty closely, but the added tips sound like a great way to change it up a bit.
This recipe sounds wonderful and I look forward to making it. Did you perhaps make a typo error? I notice you have tomatoes twice in this recipe. I hope to try it soon. Sounds like quite a bit.
Thank you for your comments, I think the recipe is fine. I have canned tomatoes, and then marinara sauce as well. I may have missed something, but I do have two different types of tomatoes in the soup.
There’s only diced tomatoes That I see on the recipe. Yes the marinara sauce but no other tomatoes.
There is a 48 ounce can of diced tomatoes in this recipe.
I can’t wait to try this
I add about 1 lds. of cooked hot italian sausage, cut into bite size pirces.
Looks like this recipe has been posted for a while, but, I’ve been making it for a few years with a few added attractions. I always use a couple of cubes of Knorr’s Tomato/Chicken bullion and one of the Beef bullion when I cook the pasta it makes the soup taste heartier. For me pasta cooked in water only makes for really bland pasta.
Great idea, thanks!
Does anyone know how many carbs in a serving
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories 582
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13.3g 17%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 84mg 28%
Sodium 1750mg 76%
Total Carbohydrate 67.8 25%
Dietary Fiber 13.6g 49%
Total Sugars 22g
Protein 46.7g
Vitamin D 0mcg 0%
Calcium 152mg 12%
Iron 22mg 124%
Potassium 2026mg. 43%
Have you tried to can this soup?
I have not tried to can this soup before.
I have made this soup many times and it is always a hit. I make the pasta using water and then add the pasta to the bowls before serving. Otherwise the pasta that remains in the pan or is stored sucks up most of the liquid and the pasta gets really large and overdone.
Hi, I tried this soup today and it came out superb. Thanks Stephanie for the recipe.
I am so glad it worked out for you.
What brand of marinara sauce do you prefer for this recipe? I know some are already spiced. Not sure if they would alter the taste.
I typically use barilla.
Question…this filled up my 8 quart pot. How much is a serving?? I put it in the recipe builder on my WW app and needed to know for the correct points. I used 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey breast and 1 lb 93/7 ground beef.