If you’ve ever hadpasta fa*gioli soupfrom Olive Garden, you would agree that this italian soup is incredibly flavorful and delicious. Our copy-cat recipe allows you to indulge in this tasty soup right from the comfort of your home, and comes together in just 30-minutes and takes little prep time!
Recreating restaurant favorites allows you to transport your kitchen and dinner experience, always such a treat! Some of our favorites includezuppa toscana, and ourp.f. chang’s copycat mongolian beef!
This pasta fa*gioli recipe offers a wonderful soup full of pasta, tender ground beef, and beans in a hearty broth, creating the perfect comforting bowl. It’s incredibly filling on its own, but would also be a great starter to your favoritedinner entree.
Why You’ll Love This Soup Recipe
- Inexpensive.The ingredients for this soup are simple and you may already have most of them in your home!
- Kid-friendly.Pasta fa*gioli soup is a hit with kids and adults alike.
- Diverse.This soup may be served with a wide range of side dishes and appetizers. As a result, this dish is incredibly easy to incorporate into your dinner.
- Customizable.You can easily switch up the veggies to personalize the soup to your family’s liking.
Ingredients for Pasta fa*gioli
Simple ingredients that meld together to make the perfect comfort meal.
- Ground beef – a great protein for this soup. You’ll want to use lean beef.
- Vegetables – we like the combination of yellow onion, carrots, and celery, along with some garlic cloves for aromatics.
- Chicken broth – a high-quality broth is key for getting a great depth of flavor in the soup!
- Diced tomatoes – canned diced tomatoes are great for an easy addition of tomatoes and juice.
- Pasta – we use ditalini pasta but you can use your favorite shape of small pasta. Other great pasta options are orzo, fusilli, elbow macaroni, and cavatelli.
- Red kidney beans – drained and rinsed. You can also substitute with navy beans.
- Spinach – fresh spinach adds some greens to the soup as well as flavor. You can also use kale like in ourclassic zuppa toscana.
For a full list of ingredients and quantities, see the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations
With simple ingredients come tons of variations to create the meal that’s right for you!
- Protein:If you’d like to use an alternative to ground beef, we suggest italian sausage. It adds loads of flavor as well as a little bit of spice. Other great options are ground turkey, bacon, ground chicken, or evenshredded chicken.
- Gluten-Free:If you are gluten sensitive you can still enjoy this delicious soup by using gluten-free pasta in substitution for the regular kind.
- Spice:Add heat to the soup with the addition of red pepper flakes or diced jalapeno.
- Vegetables:If you love veggies, the possibilities are endless to customize this soup. Add red bell pepper or mushrooms to increase the flavor of your pasta e fa*gioli soup.
- Herbs:Throw in your favorite fresh herbs, like parsley or dill for extra flavor.
- Cheese:Level the soup up by topping it with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
How to Make Pasta fa*gioli
Step-by-step instructions to make this soup, the easy way:
1 – Cook meat:Add olive oil to a dutch oven and once the oil is hot, add the ground beef.
2 – Add onion: Sautee breaking up the ground meat until it’s cook then add the onion and saute until tender.
3 – Vegetables : Add in the cubed carrots and celery and stir to combine. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then allow to cook for about 6-8 minutes.
4 – Broth:Proceed to add in the diced tomatoes, broth, ketchup, garlic, seasonings, bay leaf and pasta. Cook for 15 minutes at a light boil, or until pasta is cooked.
5 – Simmer:Finally add the spinach and beans, bring to a simmer and cook another 2 minutes on medium-high heat! Adjust seasoning to taste.
6 – Serve and enjoy, friends.
More Ways to Cook Pasta fa*gioli
Slow Cooker:
- Brown the meat in a skillet and transfer it to a crock pot.
- Add all the ingredients aside from the pasta, beans, and spinach.
- Proceed to cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4.
- Afterwards, turn the heat to high, and add the pasta, beans, and spinach. Then, finish cooking for about 30-45 minutes or until pasta is cooked.
Instant Pot:
- Start off by sautéing the meat in the instant pot.
- Add in the remaining ingredients besides pasta, beans, and spinach.
- Cook on the soup setting, with high pressure for about 20-30 minutes.
- Add in pasta, beans, as well as spinach and cook for the remaining 10 minutes, until the pasta is cooked.
Expert Tips for the BEST Soup:
- Tomatoes:If you aren’t the biggest fan of chunks of tomato, you can blend the diced tomato with the juice for an easy tomato puree. You can use fresh tomatoes in lieu of canned tomatoes.
- Broth:A high-quality broth is key for getting great flavor all throughout the soup. You can use chicken broth, beef broth or even vegetable broth with great results.
- Texture:This soup can be made thick, similar to oureasy chili, or more liquidy. To get thick soup, cook it on high for a bit longer, letting the liquid reduce.
- Time:If you aren’t on a time crunch, let your soup simmer longer before adding in the pasta. This will only benefit the flavor of the soup.
Serving Suggestions
- Soup and salad:Serve up the soup in combination with a classiccaesar saladfor a well-balanced meal.
- Olive Garden style:Transport your family to whereitalianmeetsamerican cuisineby serving up our Olive Garden favorites. Pair the restaurant’s classic soup withbuttery breadsticksand alight chicken scampi!
- Bread:Soup is best complemented withcrispy italian bread, or some garlic bread!
Recipe FAQs
Can I use 80/20 ground beef instead of lean?
Yes, you can use 80% ground beef, but make sure to drain excess fat, as it will make your soup cloudy.
Can I use water instead of chicken broth?
Chicken broth adds an undeniable depth of flavor, but if you must omit it, you may use water. Be sure to add extra seasoning to make up for the loss of flavor.
What is does pasta fa*gioli mean?
Pasta fa*gioli is simply pasta and beans together.
Store & Reheat
- Storage.Refrigerate soup in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Reheat.Warm the soup over medium heat until at a light simmer.
- Freeze.If you would like to freeze this soup, store it in freezer-safe containers, before you add the pasta.Reheat:Let soup thaw in the fridge, and warm over medium heat until lightly simmering. Add uncooked pasta and cook until pasta is tender.
More Soup Recipes
If you enjoyed this soup recipe, be sure to try our other popular sour recipes, here’s some of our favorites:
- Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Split Pea Soup
- Creamy Potato Soup with Chicken
- Meatball Soup Recipe
If you tried thisPasta fa*gioli Soup Recipeor any other recipe on my website, please leave astar ratingand let me know how it went in thecomments below– we really appreciate it!
Pasta fa*gioli Soup (Olive Garden Copycat Recipe)
Author: Valentina
4.91 from 11 votes
Pasta fa*gioli Soup is a fun and easy Italian soup, full of pasta, beef, and beans! Tender chunks of meat in a hearty, flavorful broth balanced with a hint of tomatoes. This pasta fa*gioli recipe makes the perfect comfort meal and it comes together in as little as 30 minutes!
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 celery stalks finely cubed
- 2 large carrots finely cubed
- 2 tsp salt divided
- ½ tsp ground pepper divided
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 8 cups of chicken broth
- 3 Tbsp ketchup
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¾ cup uncooked Ditalini pasta
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp italian seasoning
- 1 cup kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cups fresh spinach chopped
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
In a dutch oven, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Once hot, add the beef and brown, breaking up the meat as it’s cooked.
Add chopped onion to the ground beef, and cook until tender.
Add the celery and carrots along with 1 tsp of salt and ¼ tsp of pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes until vegetables are tender, stirring as needed.
Proceed to add the diced tomatoes, broth, ketchup, garlic, remaining salt, pepper, italian seasoning, bay leaf and pasta. Cook for 15 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
Finally, add the spinach, beans and bring to a simmer and cook another 2 minutes.
Serve, and enjoy friends!
Notes
- If you don’t like chunks of tomatoes, blend them in with the juice for an easy tomato puree.
- Simmer the soup longer for a thicker consistency.
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Nutrition
303kcal Calories28g Carbs16g Protein14g Fat5g Saturated Fat40mg Cholesterol1193mg Sodium612mg Potassium4g Fiber5g Sugar3037IU Vitamin A17mg Vitamin C63mg Calcium3mg Iron
- Full Nutrition Label
Nutrition Facts
Pasta fa*gioli Soup (Olive Garden Copycat Recipe)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 303Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 40mg13%
Sodium 1193mg52%
Potassium 612mg17%
Carbohydrates 28g9%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 16g32%
Vitamin A 3037IU61%
Vitamin C 17mg21%
Calcium 63mg6%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
(The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American, Italian
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Leave a comment
48 comments
- Janet
This is delicious. Next time I will try the 1/2 ground beef and 1/2 Italian sausage. Also I used 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon basil. This is also great with grated parmesan or romano cheese on top! Will be making again.
- Reply
- Valentina’s Corner
Half ground beef and half sausage would be great in the pasta fa*gioli, Janet. Thank you so much for visiting out online kitchen, we hope you stop back to visit.
- Reply
- Janet Fish
Delicious AND healthy!👍
- Valentina’s Corner
I’m so glad you enjoyed the pasta fa*gioli, Janet. Thank you so much for visting our online kitchen.
- Christa
Could olive oil be used in lieu of the canola oil? If not, what would you suggest as an alternative? We don’t use corn, canola, vegetable, saffron, etc oils in our home. I’m excited to try this receipe, I love this soup!
- Reply
- Valentina’s Corner
You sure can, Christa. I hope this recipe becomes a family favorite.
- Reply
- Hana
Hello. For the past 2 years I have stopped buying all these junk of oils, vegetable or canola etc. after learning how bad these oils actually are. I love using Extra virgin olive oil, but if you are looking for a vegetable oil alternative, use avocado oil. It’s great in some dishes where you don’t want to taste the taste of oil, and it’s healthy. You can also use avocado oil for deep frying and baking ( cake). It’s great, you must try it
- Reply
- Angelika
Jenny made this for lunch and let me tell you! It warmed my heart so much I got second and almost got knocked into a food coma! It was amazing literally felt like a memory from my childhood. I recommend 100/10 amazing ♥️
- Reply
- Valentina’s Corner
Angelika, thank you so much for trying our EASY pasta fa*gioli recipe! So glad you enjoyed our recipe!
- Reply
- Maria
Is it ok to omit the kidney beans?
- Reply
- Valentina’s Corner
Maria, our kids don’t like beans at all so I never add the kidney beans when I want to serve the whole family. Enjoy the soup recipe.
- Reply
- Maria
Thanks! Looking forward to trying this recipe this week m
- Valentina’s Corner
I hope you enjoy this recipe, Maria!
- Terria
So glad I tried this one. Just got our electricity back and get back to trying to warm up after our big Ice storm. I liked the idea for using sriracha. Great recipe.
- Reply
- Valentina’s Corner
Terria, hope you guys are staying warm, this soup recipe will for sure do the trick!
- Reply
- Terria
I am going to try this one today.
- Reply
- Valentina’s Corner
Terria, we hope you enjoy this pasta fa*gioli recipe!
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