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.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup ditalini pasta
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 4 tablespoons 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 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon 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