This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
There’s a reason pasta fagioli shows up on so many Olive Garden orders next to a basket of breadsticks, and once you try this version, you will understand exactly why. This pasta e fagioli soup starts with ground beef and a slow build of onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, then gets its real depth from an ingredient most home cooks wouldn’t expect. Make a pot of this soup once, and it earns a permanent spot in the dinner rotation.
My dad loved Olive Garden’s pasta fagioli. We first had it together on a family vacation to Orlando back in the late 80s, and it turned into one of those dishes he would order every single time we went. After I got married, I started working on my own version at home so I could make it for him whenever he wanted it, without a drive to the restaurant.
It took some trial and error to get the layers of flavor right, but once I did, this became the soup I made for him again and again. I still think of him every time I make a pot of this; I sure miss him so much. If your family has a dish tied to a memory like that, you already know why this one means so much to me.
Why You’ll Love This Copycat Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli
❥ It’s a one-pot meal. Everything simmers together in the same pot, so cleanup is simple, and the flavors have time to build.
❥ It feeds a crowd. This recipe makes eight generous servings, so it’s a good pick for family dinners or when you want leftovers on hand.
❥ It’s easy to make ahead. The soup base holds up well in the fridge or freezer since the pasta gets cooked and added separately.
❥ You can make it on the stove or in the slow cooker. Both methods are tested, so you can pick whichever fits your day.
❥ It tastes like the Olive Garden version you already love. The layered aromatics and V8 juice give it that same depth without a drive to the restaurant.
NikkiWhat You Need to Make Pasta Fagioli Soup
- Lean Ground beef: This is the base of the soup’s savory flavor. Brown it well and drain off the fat so the broth doesn’t turn greasy.
- Olive oil: Used to sauté the vegetables after the beef comes out.
- Garlic: Adds a warm, savory note that rounds out the vegetables. Add it near the end of the sauté so it doesn’t scorch.
- Kosher salt, oregano, basil, black pepper, and ground thyme: This simple blend of pantry seasonings ties the Italian flavor together. Adjust the salt to taste since kosher salt varies in saltiness by brand.
- Red pepper flakes: Optional, but a good way to add a little heat if you like it. Start with a pinch and adjust from there.
- Diced tomatoes: These give the broth body and a little texture. If you like a smoother soup, you can swap in crushed tomatoes instead.
- Tomato sauce: This deepens the tomato flavor without adding the chunks that diced tomatoes bring.
- V8 juice: This is the ingredient most people don’t expect. It adds a savory, vegetable-forward depth that plain tomato sauce or broth can’t give on its own. It’s easy to find at any grocery store, so it’s worth picking up rather than skipping. If you can’t get your hands on it, blend equal parts tomato sauce and vegetable broth for a similar effect.
- Red kidney beans and great northern beans: The combination of a firmer red bean and a creamier white bean is part of what makes this soup filling. Keep the liquid from the cans, since it helps thicken the broth.
- White vinegar: Just a splash brightens the whole pot and keeps the tomato base from tasting flat.
- Ditalini pasta: This small tube pasta is classic for pasta fagioli. Cook it separately and add it to bowls at serving time so it doesn’t overexpand and get bloated in the broth, especially if you’re planning on leftovers.
My Signature Fall Dinner Dishes!
FREE EMAIL BONUS: My greatest hits: bold, cozy, and brag-worthy.n
How to Make Pasta Fagioli Soup
Step 1 | Brown the Beef
Add the ground beef to a large Dutch oven over medium heat and cook until it’s no longer pink, breaking it up as it goes. Remove the beef to a paper towel-lined plate to drain off the fat.
Step 2 | Build the Aromatics & Seasonings
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add onions, carrots, and celery and sauté over medium-high heat until tender, about 6 minutes.
Then add garlic and sauté 1 minute longer. During this last minute, add in the spices – kosher salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, thyme & red pepper flakes if using. Let the vegetables soften and turn fragrant. This is where you build the first layer of flavor, so don’t rush it.
Step 3 | Simmer the Soup
Add the beef back to the pot along with the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, V8 juice, both cans of beans with their liquid, and white vinegar. If you prefer to drain and rinse the beans, you can. I would add about ½ cup of broth or water to the soup.
Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 40 to 60 minutes. The broth will deepen in color as it goes, and that’s your cue that it’s on the right track.
Prefer the slow cooker? Brown the beef and sauté the vegetables the same way, then transfer everything to the slow cooker with the remaining ingredients. Cook on high for 2 to 4 hours or low for 4 to 8 hours.
Then make sure to give it a taste and adjust salt and seasonings to your taste.
Step 4 | Cook the Pasta
About 10 minutes before you’re ready to serve, cook the ditalini according to the package directions until al dente, then drain in a colander.
Step 6 | Serve
Add the pasta directly to the soup, or spoon it into bowls first and ladle the soup on top if you’d rather keep it separate. Keeping it separate is what keeps the pasta from turning soft and bloated, especially if you know you’ll have leftovers.
Top with fresh parsley and serve warm with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.
Variations & Substitutions
- Ground turkey or Italian sausage: Either one works in place of ground beef if you want to switch up the flavor. Italian sausage adds a little extra spice, so cut back on the oregano and thyme slightly if you use it.
- Cannellini beans: Swap these in for the great northern beans if that’s what you have on hand. They’re just as creamy and blend in seamlessly.
- Tomato Sauce & Vegetable broth instead of V8 juice: If you can’t find V8 or want a milder base, combine equal parts tomato sauce and vegetable broth.
- Charleston Bloody Mary mix or Spicy V8: For a bolder, spicier version, swap in a bold and spicy Bloody Mary mix like Charleston Mix or Spicy V8 in place of the regular V8 juice. It brings extra heat and depth, though it’s a specialty item you may need to order online or find at a specialty grocer rather than pick up on a regular shopping trip.
Gluten-Free Pata Fagioli Soup
This soup is naturally gluten-free with one simple swap. Every ingredient in the broth, from the ground beef and vegetables to the beans, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and V8 juice, is gluten-free on its own. The only ingredient to change is the ditalini pasta. Swap in your favorite gluten-free small pasta shape. I often use Barilla GF Elbow Pasta and cook it according to the package instructions, since gluten-free pasta often needs a slightly different cook time than traditional pasta. As always, check the label on every ingredient before you buy, since formulas and manufacturing processes can change.
Recipe Tips
- Keep the pasta separate if you’re not serving it all right away. Ditalini keeps absorbing broth the longer it sits, so it can turn soft and bloated by the time leftovers come around. Cooking it separately and adding it to bowls at serving time keeps every portion tasting the way it should, even days later.
- Don’t skip draining the beef. Extra fat left in the pot makes the broth taste greasy instead of savory, so take the extra minute to drain it well after browning.
- Let the vegetables really soften before adding the liquids. A full 10 minutes of sautéing brings out the sweetness in the onion and carrot, and that sweetness carries through the whole pot.
Pasta Fagioli Soup vs. Olive Garden’s Pasta e Fagioli
This version leans on the same layered aromatics and hearty beef and bean combination you’d find at the restaurant, with V8 juice standing in for some of the depth that comes from a longer restaurant-style simmer. It’s a faster, one-pot take you can make on a weeknight instead of a special occasion.
What to Serve With Pasta Fagioli Soup
A basket of warm Homemade Garlic Breadsticks is the classic pairing here, perfect for dipping in that broth.
Round it out with my Olive Garden Salad copycat for the full soup, salad, and breadsticks experience, or keep it simple with a green salad and light vinaigrette. A grilled cheese or crusty garlic toast works well too if you want something different from breadsticks. Either way, you’ve got a complete meal that feels like a restaurant night at home.
Storage, Make Ahead, Freezing Instructions
Storage: Keep the soup base in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store the cooked pasta separately so it doesn’t get soft sitting in the broth.
Make Ahead: The soup base can be made a day or two ahead of time and reheated on the stove. Cook the pasta fresh right before serving for the best texture.
Freezing: Freeze the soup base (without pasta) in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove, then cook fresh pasta to add at serving time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pasta fagioli translates from Italian to “pasta and beans.” It’s a hearty Italian American soup built on beans, small pasta, and a tomato-based broth.
Minestrone typically includes more vegetables and sometimes more than one type of pasta or grain. Pasta fagioli is more focused, built mainly around beans, a small pasta shape, and a tomato broth.
No, this version uses ground beef for the base. Ground turkey works as a swap, but a fully vegetarian version would need a different approach to keep the same depth of flavor.
Yes, but you’ll need to cook them separately until tender before adding them to the soup, since dried beans take much longer to soften than the simmer time this recipe calls for.
More Soup Recipes You’ll Love
- Spanish Bean Soup
- Creamy Potato Soup
- Zuppa Toscana Soup
- Black Eyed Pea and Collard Green Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
Hungry for more easy, home-cooked, delicious recipes?
Sign up for my free recipe club to get family-friendly recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing daily meal-time inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
Pasta Fagioli Soup
Click Stars To Rate
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion - finely diced
- 1 cup carrot - julienned
- 3 stalks celery - chopped, (1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 29 ounces petite diced tomatoes - 2 (14.5 ounce cans)
- 15 ounces can red kidney beans - with liquid
- 15 ounces great northern beans - with liquid
- 15 ounces can tomato sauce
- 12 ounces V-8 juice
- 1 ½ – 2 teaspoons kosher salt - or to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ – 1 teaspoons black pepper - or to taste
- 1 ½ teaspoon thyme leaves - or ½ to ¾ teaspoon ground thyme
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes - optional (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- ½ pound ditali pasta - ½ package (or to taste if serving separately) – Use Gluten-Free for a GF soup
Instructions
- Add the ground beef to a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook until it's no longer pink and nicely browned, breaking it up as it goes. (about 5-7 minutes) Remove the beef to paper towels to drain off fat, if needed. You may also move the beef to one side of the pan while cooking vegetables, if you have room and it's not overly greasy.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, if needed. Add onions, carrots, and celery, and sauté over medium-high heat until tender, about 4-6 minutes. Let the vegetables soften and turn fragrant. Then add garlic and sauté for 1 minute longer. During this last minute, add the spices: kosher salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, thyme & red pepper flakes if using.
- Add the ground beef back into the Dutch oven or slow cooker. Then, add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, V8, kidney beans, great northern beans, and white vinegar and stir to combine. If you prefer to drain and rinse the beans, you can. If so, add about ½ cup of broth or water to the soup.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover with lid, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft, about 40-60 minutes. This gives the soup time to get flavorful. SLOW COOKER: Cook in the slow Cooker on high for 2 to 4 hours or low for 4 to 8 hours.
- Taste, and add salt and adjust seasonings to taste.
- About 10 minutes before serving, cook the ditalini pasta according to the package directions, until al dente. Drain pasta in a colander.
- Add pasta to the soup or serve scooped into the soup individually.
- Garnish with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley. Serve with garlic breadsticks and an Olive Garden Italian Salad.
Notes
GLUTEN-FREE PASTA FAGIOLI: This soup is naturally gluten-free when using gluten-free pasta. We love to use Barilla GF Elbow Pasta. You can also serve the soup without pasta. Always check your spices and canned goods to make sure they are labeled gluten-free!
Want to Save this Recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Soulfully Made.
Nutrition
Soulfully Made is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It was wonderful.
Thank you so much for making it! I appreciate you taking time to stop by and let us know.
This is the exact recipe I use with one exception. I substitute a jar of spaghetti sauce for the tomato sauce. I also use Italian diced tomatoes if I have them on hand. This is a delicious recipe.
Thank you Cynthia! It’s one of my favorite soups!
I am loving this soup. I haven’t had it before, but it looks amazing, and I know my husband would love it too! Thanks so much for sharing at Celebrate It!
Thank you Teri! And thank you for hosting Celebrate It! It’s alwasy so much fun to share recipes! I hope you enjoy it! We love this one at my house!
I love pasta fagioli! Looks like a good bowl of it.
Thank you David! I love it too! 🙂
Nikki, I need a big bowl of this right this minute! Pinning and Tweeting.
Thank you Jean! I hope you enjoy it! I’m so glad you stopped by! Come back soon 🙂
Looks like such a comforting, filling bowl!
Thank you Caroline! It is indeed! 🙂
I’ve always heard such great things about this soup, but I’ve never made it! I think the kidney beans kept me away, but I could just double up on the great northern beans. I have a feeling it will become part of our regular rotation!!
It’s very flavorful! Just change out the beans for ones you love! If you like a little spice throw in some red pepper too! I hope you love it!
You are going to make me go grocery shopping!!! This is my favorite soup and never knew how to make it. So I guess now that I do, I have no excuse!! Thanks for sharing!!
I keep the ingredients on hand for the soup! It’s really delicious. Very close to Olive Gardens! Lisa it’s very easy and worth making at home!