Hardy Pasta e Fagioli Soup is an easy dinner recipe made with beef, pasta, vegetables, and beans, then simmered in a rich spicy tomato broth. Just follow these step by step photo instructions.
Introduction
Pasta e Fagioli means "pasta and beans" and this is a traditional Italian peasant soup. If you think of this soup as thick Italian Minestrone Soup with meat, beans, and pasta, you will be fairly close.
The most well-known version is from Olive Garden restaurants and this is an easy copycat version you can do at home with great results. The "inspired by" goes to a Food.com recipe Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli with only a few minor changes.
We were in a soup mood and needed leftovers. In spite of this not being very "cooking for two" friendly, we finished every last drop without freezing.
My Rating
An excellent soup as expected. This would be a great company recipe to cook ahead.
📋 Ingredients
The Meat: While I used regular ground beef, there is lots of flavor in this soup and ground turkey or chicken will work fine.
The Beans: The original recipe calls for the beans to be put in with their packing liquid. This does increase the sodium some, so I did rinse the beans and then added a can of beef broth to replace the liquids.
This is a thick soup as written. I liked it better with another can of broth.
The Pasta: This is an interesting soup and deserves an interesting pasta. So an interesting shape and some color will add to the enjoyment.
This is a great recipe to make gluten-free or use other alternate pasta types of your choice.
I frequently add uncooked pasta to recipes I develop but cooking time and effect on the fluid in the recipe can vary some.
The Seasoning: You can use Italian Seasoning (1 tablespoon) to replace the herbs in this recipe.
♨️ Can I Make This Soup in a Crock Pot?
I have seen recipes for that but I don't see the reason to do that. If you want to use a crock pot, then cook on low for 4 hours then add al dente pasta and cook another 10 minutes.
I don't suggest uncooked pasta added to the crock pot. Cooking time and amount of extra fluid needed will be too variable.
❄️Storage
This soup should not be stored with the pasta already added. So store without pasta then reheat and add some freshly cooked al dente pasta.
If you know you will be storing some of the soup, remove the amount to store before adding pasta. Of course, you should cook less pasta.
Good refrigerated for 3-4 days and frozen for 3-4 months.
📖Italian Recipes
Boursin Cheese Sauce with Chicken and Pasta
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
The ingredients for this soup but pasta and the broth are not pictured.
Start with browning 1 pound of ground beef in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. I used the Dutch oven. Drain excess fat.
While the meat is browning, dice one medium onion and chop three stalks celery. Juline one large or 2 medium carrots. Mince 2 cloves garlic.
Add the prepared veggies to the browned meat. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Cook ½ pound of pasta al dente.
Rinse one can each of red kidney and great northern beans.
Add two 14 ½ oz cans diced tomatoes, 15 oz can tomato sauce, 12oz of tomato or V8 vegetable juice, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon basil, ½ teaspoon pepper and ½ teaspoon thyme. Add the rinsed beans and added a can of beef broth. Add the second can of broth if you want a little more of a soup texture. Simmer for 1 hour.
After the soup has simmered for one hour, add the al dente pasta a simmer another 10 minutes before serving.
📖Full Recipe
Pasta e Fagioli Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lbs ground beef
- 1 onion - medium diced
- 3 stalks celery - chopped
- 1 carrot - large or 2 medium julienned
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 28 oz diced tomatoes
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 12 oz tomato juice - or V8 vegetable juice
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 14 red kidney beans - Low sodium, rinsed
- 14 Great Northern beans - Low sodium, rinsed
- 14-28 oz beef broth
- ½ pound pasta al dente
Instructions
- Start with browning 1 pound of ground beef in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Drain excess fat.
- While the meat is browning, dice one medium onion and chop three stalks celery. Julienne one large or 2 medium carrots. Mince 2 cloves garlic.
- Add the prepared veggies to the browned meat. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- Cook ½ pound pasta al dente.
- Add two 14 ½ oz cans diced tomatoes, 15 oz can tomato sauce, 12oz of tomato or V8 vegetable juice, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon basil, ½ teaspoon pepper and ½ teaspoon thyme.
- Add 1 can each of drained and rinsed red kidney and great northern beans. Add a can of beef broth. Add the second can of broth if you want a little more of a soup texture.
- Simmer for 1 hour then add ½ pound of pasta cooked al dente. Simmer ten more minutes and serve.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- You can use Italian Seasoning (1 tablespoon) to replace the herbs in this recipe.
- Like all soups, you can vary the veggies and spices to your taste.
- This is a thick soup as written. I liked it better with the second can of broth.
- This soup should NOT be stored with the pasta already added. So store without pasta then reheat and add some freshly cooked al dente pasta.
- If you know you will be storing some of the soup, remove the amount to store before adding pasta. Of course, you should cook less pasta.
- Good refrigerated for 3-4 days and frozen for 3-4 months.
- Make this gluten-free by using gluten free pasta.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Originally Published January 5, 2013. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Brian Mooney FRMS
Let me comment as a recently-retired university life sciences/chemistry professor who taught for years at several institutions with well-known culinary programs.
Rinsing the beans gets rid of a large proportion of oligosaccharides, a sugar which is readily fermented by the bacteria residing in the colon (large bowel). One fermentation product is gas.
All childhood jokes about “musical fruit” aside, this gas is more than a polite social concern. Many people find the gassiness produces an uncomfortable, even painful distention of the bowel. Draining and rinsing the beans may do little to reduce sodium (just use “no salt added” beans) but oligosaccharides are readily water-soluble and thus can be rinsed away to a good degree. Simply place the beans in a bowl or colander and rinse under running cool tap water until all the canned bean liquid is gone. (Soaking for an additional short while in cool water will likely remove even more of the offending sugar.). The gassiness problem is now largely solved.
If you are still bothered by gassiness, then “Beano” and similar enzyme-based products will likely be the best answer in addition to rinsing.
Yet another lovely recipe in this amazing collection of wonderful recipes.
Brian
Efghi's mommy
Happy holidays! This year has been all about food. Food for ME...and food for the fridge...I detest cooking and I don't like combining money with food. I've been through many "cheatsheets to success" for food ideas and finally have settled down with 1.)101 cooking for two 2.) Food Network website and app..for all of my adventures in the kitchen. Then...I decided I ate everything good! And wanted a baby! Then! I realized it's not time for baby. Hope you get the message ❤😚😙💭😍🍾🍾🍾
Alicia Bland
Looking forward to trying this and noticed that pepper and thyme are not on ingredient list.Made the broccoli cheese one last night-delicious and a big hit with my kids! Thanks!
DrDan
Hi Alicia,
Thanks for the proof-read. This recipe in is need of a buff-up of text and pictures and is on the list. I have put them in the ingredient list. As you know, they were in the instructions at least.
Thanks again for the note.
Dan
[email protected]
This was outstanding… Loved it. My family wanted the recipe.
Dr Dan
I think I will rinse beans from a can more than from a jar. I don't know why. It does decrease the sodium some but not that much. I'm going to try to plan my cooking more and I want to do some dried beans soon.
The soup was excellent but I will try to do half a batch or immediately freeze some if I do it again. It made a massive amount.
Chris
That is one of the girls' at Alexis' work favorites. I made a version for them last year and they went nuts over it.
I sometimes rinse beans, sometimes don't, depending on the bean and use. But it's probably a good practice to follow.
Steve Roth
When I look at the gunk in the bottom of a can of soup beans that stuff makes me cringe. It also seems to have a peculiar odor (tin?) that I don't want reflected in my soup. Beans in a jar also appear cloudy. So, it is a matter of policy for me to drain, rinse, and drain. Repeat again, if need be.
In any case, I will be making this soup in the very near future.
Thank you.