Pasta Fagioli is a really easy, no-fuss one pot stew that’s so hearty and delicious. Made with sweet Italian sausage, vegetables, beans, and a rich tomato base, this homemade Olive Garden copycat recipe is even better than the restaurant-version. A great weeknight dinner for the family and leftovers freeze well!
We love this soup along with its one-pot vegetarian cousin Pasta e Ceci!
The Italians hit yet another homerun with this hearty and comforting Pasta e Fagioli. It truly encompasses everything I love – sausage, vegetables, beans, and pasta, all in one pot, all in 30 minutes!
What is Pasta Fagioli?
Pasta e fagioli (pronounced “pah-sta eh fazh-e-ohl-eh”) simply means “pasta and beans” in English. Might sound boring, but this stew is anything but! Wonderful Italian seasonings and a rich tomato and chicken based broth, transform pasta and beans into an incredibly irresistible meal that you’ll want second and third helpings of.
There are many different versions floating around, but this particular recipe is a riff on Olive Garden’s popular menu item. I’ve only eaten at Olive Garden a few times, but their Zuppa Toscana, toasted ravioli, and this Pasta Fagioli soup are the best!
Pasta Fagioli Recipe Ingredients
Several canned goods are used, cutting down on prep work, making this an easy weeknight meal. You probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry already and didn’t realize you were sitting on a goldmine of flavor!
- Italian Sausage – use sweet or spicy, depending on your taste. You can also try using lean ground beef, or a combination of both.
- Vegetables – onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. The quartet of perfection to start off any soup base.
- Seasonings – salt, pepper, cracked red pepper flakes, dried Italian seasonings, and fresh parsley.
- Tomatoes – tomato paste and petite diced tomatoes.
- Liquids – low sodium chicken broth, marinara sauce, and red wine (used to deglaze the pan and give depth of flavor. All the alcohol cooks off. You can replace the wine with beef broth or more chicken broth, but the overall taste won’t be as rich.)
- Ditalini pasta – dried pasta is used and cooks in the soup. Macaroni would also work fine.
- Beans – kidney beans and great northern beans.
- Olive oil – used to saute the vegetables.
- Parmesan Cheese – for finishing. You could also use grated Romano.
How to Make Pasta Fagioli
Just a few simple steps in making this soup! Here’s a brief summary (scroll below for the detailed printable.)
- Warm olive oil in a large pot; add sausage, breaking it up into crumbles, and cook until browned; drain off excess fat.
- Stir in the vegetables and sauté until softened. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan, then stir in the tomato paste.
- Add in the chicken broth, marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, cracked red pepper flakes, and dried pasta.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and pasta is cooked.
- Stir in beans until heated through.
- Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley.
- Serve with some crusty bread and enjoy!
How to Store this Soup
To store pasta e fagioli soup in the refrigerator: Cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. NOTE: soup will thicken as it stands and noodles will absorb a lot of the broth. When reheating, thin the soup a bit with some broth. (If you don’t plan on eating all of the soup right away, I recommend cooking the pasta separately and adding it to individual servings.)
Can you freeze pasta fagioli soup? This soup freezes very well without the noodles, which absorb so much of the liquid that they tend to get soggy and unappealing once defrosted. I recommend omitting the noodles and cooking up a fresh batch after the soup has thawed. Transfer cooled soup to an airtight container, removing as mush air as possible, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or stovetop and adding in a fresh batch of cooked noodles.
No special skills or equipment needed, and barely any time. Everyone I know loves this soup and you will, too!
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Pasta Fagioli Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage , casings removed
- 1 medium sweet onion , diced
- 2 medium carrots , peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery , diced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
- 15 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 2 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- pinch cracked red pepper flakes
- 1 cup dry ditalini pasta
- 15 ounce can red kidney beans , drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce can Great Northern beans , drained and rinsed
- finely chopped fresh parsley , for serving
- finely grated Parmesan cheese , for serving (optional to keep it dairy free)
Instructions
- Warm olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon into crumbles, and cook until browned; drain off excess fat.
- Stir in onions, carrots, and celery and sauté over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute longer. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add in the red wine to deglaze the pan, allowing it to evaporate, scraping up any brown bits that have formed.
- Stir in the tomato paste until combined.
- Add in the chicken broth, marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, cracked red pepper flakes, and dried pasta.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium/medium-low, cover and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and pasta is cooked, about 12-15 minutes.
- Stir in beans until heated through.
- Add in a little more broth (or water) if you feel the soup is too thick.
- Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley.
- Serve with some crusty bread, if desired, and enjoy!
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Nutrition
Other Notes
Such an easy recipe and so good.
This is the best tasting soup I’ve ever made! Absolutely amazing!!!
This soup was knock your socks off delicious! I’d give it 10 stars if I could. Easy to make, inexpensive, and oh so yummy.
This was absolutely delicious and a huge hit in my family. Flavorful and easy to make
Very good recipe. I use half ground beef and sausage
Absolutely delicious and very filling. Loved it.
If we wanted to substitute the canned beans for dry, would simply soaking the beans overnight and then seasoning be sufficient before adding them to the mix?
Hi Nikki! I think so? I always canned beans.
Soup is delicious. Some have said it makes too much,well this is a good time to share with a neighbor or elderly person who may not have the time to cook from scratch. Put a smile on someone’s face.
I loved this recipe and I made a container and my husband took it over to my friend who lives alone.
I knew that it was gonna be delish as I prepared this soup, because of the mouth-watering aroma! When was it done simmering in the pot, it was Very Delicious! This recipe is a keeper?
This soup is great, I’ve made multiple times . My family loves it.
This was WONDERFUL! Can’t wait to enjoy leftovers tomorrow for lunch.
Could you make this with gluten free pasta??
This soup came out so delicious and does taste just like Olive Gardens! Will definitely make again!
This was a huge hit at our house but there’s so much left! Does this freeze well and if so how long?
Hi Emily! Storage and freezer instructions are included in the full article. Thanks!
Really good comfort food!
I might have just missed this question but if you wanted this to vegetarian, can you leave the meat out? Will it still be okay? Just not a fan. Could you use mushrooms or more beans if you wanted to get extra protein or meatiness to it?
Hi Jenny! You definitely can leave it out and will still be delicious, but it will be thinner and won’t have quite the depth of flavor. I would actually suggest you make Pasta e Ceci, which is vegetarian https://bellyfull.net/pasta-e-ceci/
Soup was delicious..had never had it before.