This pasta e fagioli is an easy Olive Garden copycat that’s perfect on a cold winter day. It’s loaded with fresh veggies, beans, ground beef, seasonings and ditalini pasta. Super hearty and delicious!
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 fagioli is a favorite, as well as zuppa toscana, minestrone and chicken gnocchi soup.
We’ve been making this pasta fagioli (also known as pasta e fagioli or pasta fazool) 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. It makes cooking fun!
What does pasta fazool mean?
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.
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.
- Omit the meat to make vegetarian. You can add another can of beans to bulk it up a little more.
- 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.
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.
More Italian soup recipes:
Pasta e Fagioli
Ingredients
- 1 pound hamburger
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 cup onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3/4 cup carrots
- 1 cup celery
- 11.5 ounce can original V-8 juice
- 14.5 ounce can tomatoes
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 cup water (more if desired to thin)
- 15 ounce can Great Northern beans
- 15 ounce can Kidney Beans
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1-1 1/2 cups Ditalini pasta (uncooked)
Optional: Parmesan and fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- In a large pan over medium-heat, brown hamburger. Add in salt and pepper and stir until combined. Then add in onions, garlic, carrots and celery and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Next add in the V-8 juice, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, beans, vinegar and Italian seasoning. Simmer for 30 minutes on medium-low, stirring occasionally.
- Once the soup has been cooking for 20 minutes, cook the pasta over high heat in a separate pot until al dente, about 7 minutes. 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 provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
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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/