Pasta Fagioli – Olive Garden copycat recipe. This hearty soup is filled with spicy Italian sausage, veggies, pasta, and beans and topped with fresh shredded Parmesan cheese. It is serious comfort food that the whole family will love!

 

My husband has been gone for a couple weeks now and while I’m the first to admit that it pretty much sucks, there are some good points to being alone.

• My grocery bill is less than half of what it is with him home! I knew he ate a lot but holy cow.
• I can get up at 4 am and no one yells at me!
• To go with the above, I can sleep on the couch so that I can get up at 4 am without my children hearing and no one yells at me!
• I can read all 3 books of The Hunger Games (again) without anyone asking me why I’m reading books meant for teenagers (again).
• Real Housewives marathons. Enough said.
• Peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches are officially considered dinner.
• I can make instant coffee and not feel guilty because I know he won’t ask for espresso unless he sees me prepping the machine.
• There are no PTs to wash every night!
• I can cook whatever I want, whenever I want! (!!)

And that last one is the reason I made this soup.

How To Make Pasta Fagioli!

Pasta Fagioli is a really simple, hearty soup made with sausage, pasta, veggies, and beans. 

It starts with sautéeing diced onion, carrot, and celery in a large stock pot until the veggies have softened. Then hot Italian sausage (feel free to use sweet Italian sausage if you aren’t a huge fan of spice) gets added to the pot and cooked through. Everything gets seasoned with Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes. Crushed tomatoes and chicken stock are stirred in and then it all simmers together for 30 minutes. 

Once it has all simmered together, add the small pasta (I use ditalini) and white beans and cook just until the pasta is done, about 6 – 8 minutes, depending on which small pasta you use. 

When you’re ready to serve it, sprinkle with some fresh grated Parmesan and green onions, if desired.

How Long Is Pasta Fagioli Good For?

Pasta Fagioli will stay good for 3 – 5 days in the refrigerator. Make sure to store it in an airtight container.

The pasta will continue to absorb the liquid as it sits so you may need to add more chicken broth to the soup when you reheat it. You can reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Can Pasta Fagioli Be Frozen?

Yes! It freezes very well! Just make sure to use airtight, freezer-safe containers. 

My favorite way to reheat it from frozen is to add it (frozen) to the slow cooker with a couple extra splashes of broth and let it warm for a couple hours. You can also let it thaw in the fridge and reheat on the stove or microwave if you prefer. 

What To Serve with Pasta Fagioli?

I like to serve Pasta Fagioli with a green salad and Italian bread to dip into the broth. It is also perfectly fine on it’s own, especially on a cold day. 

More Soup Recipes

• Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup 
• Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
• Broccoli Cheddar Soup 
• Autumn Squash Soup
• Texas Tortilla Soup
• Sausage, Lentil, and Kale Soup

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Yield: 8 servings

Pasta Fagioli

Print

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled & chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 lb hot Italian sausage, casings removed if necessary
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 -2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 15- ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 3 - 4 cups chicken stock, or vegetable stock
• 1 can cannellini beans
• 1 cup ditalini, or other small pasta
• Parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium high heat. Add the diced onion and cook until it just begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots; cook, stirring frequently, for another 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add the sausage to the pot, crumbling as it cooks. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink. Stir in Italian seasoning and red pepper. Stir in tomatoes and stock.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
4. Stir in the beans and ditalini. (Add an extra cup of stock or water at this point if it's boiled down too much.) Simmer for 6- 8 minutes or until pasta is tender.
5. Serve piping hot with Parmesan cheese. (I really liked the sharpness of the green onions with this as well.)

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 478 Total Fat: 22g Saturated Fat: 7g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 16g Cholesterol: 44mg Sodium: 1319mg Carbohydrates: 42g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 5g Sugar: 10g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 27g