Pasta e Fagioli (Olive Garden Copycat)
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Feb. 25, 2025
This Pasta e Fagioli (Olive Garden Copycat) is hearty, healthy, and packed with great ingredients. It’s perfect for a weeknight dinner and makes supremely delicious leftovers!
In This Article
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Why This Recipe Stands Out
This Pasta e Fagioli recipe is one of our favorite recipes to share with guests for so many reasons. Here’s why we think you’ll love it:
- Homemade: Nothing beats homemade, and this homemade version of Olive Garden’s Pasta e Fagioli is absolutely delicious, just like this Zuppa Toscana recipe.
- Healthy and Filling: Like our homemade Minestrone Soup, it’s full of perfectly cooked pasta, lean beef, fresh veggies, and flavorful herbs and spices.
- Easy to Make: The biggest selling point is how easy this Pasta e Fagioli comes together. There are no complicated steps, like our Chicken Tortellini Soup.
- Perfect Family Meal: Hubby loves it, and kids love it. It’s a classic family meal that’s delicious and so satisfying!
Key Recipe Ingredients
- Ground Beef – We use lean ground beef as it adds a meaty richness to the soup.
- Carrots, Celery, and Onion – These three vegetables are the base of the soup and provide a wonderful aromatic flavor.
- Chicken Broth – We use chicken broth as the base of our soup, it adds a rich, savory flavor.
- Tomato Sauce and Diced Tomatoes – These two ingredients add a delicious tomato flavor to the soup.
- Seasonings – A blend of dried basil, oregano, thyme, fennel seeds, and marjoram add a wonderful Italian flavor to the soup.
- Beans – We use a combination of dark red kidney beans and great northern beans to add a hearty, protein-packed element to the soup.
Substitutions And Variations
Here are some of our favorite variations and substitutions:
- Pasta: This recipe calls for ditalini pasta, but you can substitute it with any small pasta you like. We think macaroni and small shells work great.
- Different Meat: Feel free to use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef if you prefer, or even go for a vegetarian option and substitute the meat with your favorite veggies.
- Beans: The great thing about Pasta e Fagioli is that you can use any beans you have on hand. Try black beans, pinto beans, or even chickpeas.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
- Cook the pasta until it is just under al dente. Rinse with cold water, toss with a little oil, and set aside.
- Cook the ground beef with seasonings. Once cooked, transfer it to a bowl and set aside.
- Sauté the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic until tender.
- Add tomato sauce, broth, canned tomatoes, and all the seasonings.
- Add the cooked beef and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
- Now add the cooked pasta and all the beans to the pot. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to your liking and serve with fresh parmesan.
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
How To Prep Ahead
Take a look at our favorite prep-ahead tips for this recipe:
- Prep the Veggies: You can dice the carrots, celery, and onion in advance. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.
- Make Entirely Ahead: We love how delicious the leftovers taste. You can simply make it beforehand and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. When reheating, if the pasta absorbs too much liquid in the soup, simply add chicken broth until the desired consistency is reached.
What To Serve With Pasta e Fagioli
Bread
- Pasta already makes this soup more filling, but you can also serve it alongside a crusty baguette or a slice of your favorite artisan bread.
- You also can’t go wrong with some homemade Olive Garden Breadsticks or Rosemary Garlic Bread.
Salads
- Soups and salads go great together! Try it with our Kale Brussel Sprouts Salad.
- You can also go with a heartier salad like this Rotisserie Chicken Salad or our Southwestern Barley Salad.
Commonly Asked Questions
How do I prevent the pasta from getting too soft?
To prevent the pasta from getting mushy, cook it separately and just barely until al dente. Do not overcook it. It will continue to cook when you add it to the soup later. Drain, rinse with cold water, and toss with a little olive oil.
Can I use ground turkey instead of ground beef?
Yes, you can absolutely substitute ground beef with ground turkey. It’s a leaner option and will still give you that delicious protein and flavor in your soup.
How long does pasta e fagioli keep?
Pasta e Fagioli can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Just make sure to store it in an airtight container. When reheating, you may need to add some chicken broth as the pasta tends to absorb the liquid.
Did you make this?
Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!
Pasta e Fagioli (Olive Garden Copycat)
This homemade version of Olive Garden’s Pasta e Fagioli is indeed better than the restaurant! It is chock full of fresh, quality ingredients. Both hearty and healthy, with a robust flavor that is mouthwatering.
Ingredients
- 1 cup ditalini pasta
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 4 TB olive oil, divided
- 2 cups diced carrots, about 4 medium ones
- 2 cups diced celery, about 6 stalks
- 1 whole yellow onion, chopped
- 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 24 oz tomato sauce
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 15 oz diced tomatoes, canned, with juices
- 1 TB sugar
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- ½ tsp dried marjoram
- 15 oz dark red kidney beans, canned, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz great northern beans, canned, drained and rinsed
- salt and pepper
- Optional: parmesan cheese, freshly grated, for serving
Instructions
- In a large heavy pot, cook pasta in salted boiling water, just until barely al dente. Do not overcook; about 1 minute under al dente is good. Drain, rinse with cold water, and toss with a sprinkle of olive oil. Set aside.
- In same large pot, heat 2 TB olive oil over medium high heat. Add beef, garlic powder, onion powder, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Cook and break up into small pieces. Transfer cooked beef into a bowl and set aside.
- Heat remaining 2 TB olive oil in same pot. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic, cooking until tender, 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
- Add tomato sauce, chicken broth, canned tomatoes with juices, sugar, basil, oregano, thyme, fennel seeds, and marjoram. Add cooked beef back in. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add back cooked pasta into the pot, along with all beans. Simmer 5 minutes longer. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with fresh parmesan.
Notes
- Cook the ditalini pasta just until it’s barely al dente. This will prevent it from becoming mushy when it’s added to the soup later.
- After cooking the beef, don’t wash from the pot. The remaining fat and brown bits will add flavor to the vegetables.
- This soup tastes even better the next day as the flavors have more time to meld.
- For leftovers: If pasta absorbs too much liquid in the soup, simply add chicken broth until desired consistency is reached, during reheating.
- This recipe is part of our Healthy Italian Recipes Collection.
- We recommend serving it with some homemade Olive Garden Breadsticks or Rosemary Garlic Bread for a complete family meal.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 476kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 1053mg | Potassium: 1145mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 6046IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 146mg | Iron: 5mg
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