This Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli is a thick, stew-like Italian soup made with ground beef, two kinds of beans, ditalini pasta, and a rich tomato broth. It tastes like the restaurant version and feeds the whole family. Start to finish, it takes about an hour.
The flavor starts with the base. You brown the beef and drain the fat, then soften the onion, carrot, and celery in the same pot. That trio cooked down slowly is the savory backbone before the tomatoes and broth go in.
Two things get it close to the restaurant. Use ditalini, the little short tubes Olive Garden actually uses, and stir it in only for the last 10 minutes so it stays al dente. For the thick, almost stew texture the restaurant is known for, mash a scoop of the beans and stir them back in. If you are saving leftovers, cook the pasta separately, since it keeps drinking up broth and turns soft overnight.
Pasta e Fagioli Soup Recipe
Course: SoupsCuisine: Italian-AmericanDifficulty: Easy16
servings15
minutes1
hour410
kcalThis Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli simmers ground beef, kidney beans, and ditalini in a thick tomato broth. Ready in about an hour, serves 8.
Ingredients
- For the Soup Base:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup slivered carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
24 oz marinara sauce
6 cups beef broth
- For the Beans and Pasta:
1 cup cooked red kidney beans
1 cup cooked white kidney beans (cannellini)
4 oz ditalini pasta
- For the Seasoning:
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/4 teaspoons black pepper
3/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Directions
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the ground beef, breaking it apart, then drain off the excess fat.
- Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables soften.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes, marinara, beef broth, oregano, black pepper, and Tabasco. Mix well.
- Bring to a boil, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, so the flavors meld.
- For a thicker soup, mash about half a cup of the beans, then stir all the beans and the uncooked ditalini into the pot.
- Simmer another 10 to 12 minutes, until the pasta is al dente.
- Stir in the fresh parsley and serve hot.
FAQs
What do I serve it with?
Warm Breadsticks or crusty garlic bread are made for dipping. Add a Caesar or garden salad and a sprinkle of Parmesan Crusted Chicken on top for the full restaurant plate.
Which pasta is the right one?
Ditalini, the small short tubes, is what Olive Garden uses. If you cannot find it, elbow macaroni or other small shapes work, but ditalini gets you closest to the original.
How do I keep the pasta from going mushy?
Cook it in a separate pot and add it to each bowl, then ladle the soup over. The pasta stops soaking up broth and stays firm, even as leftovers.
What is the difference between this and minestrone?
Pasta e fagioli is thicker, almost stew-like, with a stronger tomato flavor and a focus on pasta and beans. Minestrone is thinner and packs in more vegetables like zucchini and green beans.
