Pasta e Fagioli (Olive Garden Copycat)
Pasta e Fagioli is a hearty, one-pot soup inspired by Olive Garden. Chock-full of beans, veggies, noodles and lean beef, this classic Italian soup is sure to win you over. Pair it with Soft Dinner Rolls and you have a very satisfying meal.
We love making restaurant favorites at home like Zuppa Toscana soup, Chicken Madeira (a Cheesecake Factory favorite) and of course Philly Cheesesteak.
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Pasta e Fagioli Recipe:
Hello everyone! Natalya here from Momsdish. I’m so excited to share my copycat recipe for Olive Garden’s Pasta e Fagioli with you. I believe this recipe tastes better than the restaurant version. You will love this soup!
This hearty soup is the perfect candidate for meal prepping. It only requires one pot to make and it reheats amazingly throughout the week. It is also super filling and healthy.
What is Pasta e Fagioli?
In Italian, “Pasta e Fagioli” translates to “pasta and beans”. This makes a whole lot of sense considering this soup is chock-full of pasta and beans! It is also loaded with aromatic veggies and lean ground beef, making it a whole meal in a bowl. Think of Pasta e Fagioli as an Italian spin on chili!
How to Make Pasta e Fagioli
- In a dutch oven or soup pot, heat up a tablespoon of olive oil at medium heat and brown your beef. Drain excess fat and set aside. Add a bit more olive oil to the pot and stir in garlic, onions, celery and carrots. Cook until tender.
- Add in tomato sauce, canned tomatoes and beef. Stir to combine. Add your beans and chicken stock/broth. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add in pasta and Italian seasoning (dried oregano and thyme will work if you don’t have the spice blend on hand). Cook for 10 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Can I Substitute the Ground Beef?
You can substitute spicy, ground Italian sausage for beef. It will add a nice kick of heat! Also, don’t hesitate to use half beef, half Italian sausage.
Pro Tip: Have a parmesan rind lying around? Don’t let it go to waste and throw it into the soup pot alongside the broth. All the oils and salty-parmesan in the rind will meld with your broth and enhance the flavor. Just make sure you take the rind out before serving.
Storing Pasta e Fagioli
Store soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 5 days. The kicker? This soup tastes better and better as it marinates in the fridge. Yes, that means your leftovers will get tastier as the days go by! To reheat your soup, simply microwave it or bring it to a simmer in a pot over medium-high heat.
Can this Soup Be Frozen?
I wouldn’t recommend freezing Pasta e Fagioli. Generally, freezing soups with pasta is not a good idea. When the noodles defrost, they tend to turn to mush, ruining the texture of your soup.
More Olive Garden Copycat Recipes:
- Creamy Shrimp Pasta – plump shrimp in alfredo sauce
- Zuppa Toscana – Natasha’s take on Olive Garden’s soup.
- Alfredo Sauce – easy and done in 5 minutes! Perfect pasta or pizza sauce.
- Minestrone Soup – classic soup never goes out of style. Serve it as an appetizer or a meal all on its own.
Pasta e Fagioli (Olive Garden Copycat)
Try Pasta e Fagioli and you will be coming back for seconds. This Olive Garden copycat soup recipe is loaded with delicious veggies and protein, being a true comfort food.
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium carrots diced into small cubes
- 1 large onion diced into small cubes
- 1 stalk celery diced into small cubes
- 3 cloves garlic
- 15 oz canned diced tomatoes
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 32 oz chicken broth
- 15 oz canned Great Northern beans drained and rinsed
- 15 oz canned Kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup ditalini pasta
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt adjust to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper adjust to taste
- 2 tbsp fresh basil (optional)
Instructions
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On medium heat, preheat a large pot or dutch oven with oil. Add ground beef and let it brown (3-5 minutes). As its cooking, be sure to break it apart into small pieces.
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Remove cooked beef from the pot. Drain of excess fat and set aside.
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In the same pot, add diced carrots, onion, celery and pressed garlic. Saute until the vegetables are softened (about 4 minutes).
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Add canned diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef back to the cooking vegetables in the pot. Stir to combine together.
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Add Great Northern and kidney beans to the mix. Pour chicken broth to the pot and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
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Add pasta, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and let it cook for another 10 minutes.
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Serve right away with a sprinkle of basil or parmesan cheese.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Natalya Drozhzhin
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
I made this tonight in the instant pot! Followed recipe as is minus the 10 min simmer and 10 min cook. Instead pressure cooked it in my instant pot for 8 minutes and it was great! I also added 1/2 tsp of crushed pepper flakes for some warm heat.
Hi Karol, nice one! Thank you for sharing some tips with us, we appreciate it!
HI Karol, I had the same idea to cook in instant pot but didnt try yet. I had multi function cooker where sotte is possible. What about a pasta? Did you cook it separetely and then add into final meal?I was thinking about cooking this meal in slow cooker, it could work too. Thank you.
This looks and sounds great! Wish to make. Do I drain beans and rinse OR just pour both straight out of the can into the soup?
Hi Anne, Please see this note in the recipe, “15 oz canned Great Northern beans drained and rinsed, “15 oz canned Kidney beans drained and rinsed” I hope that helps.
Turned out excellent!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
You might say 15 oz CAN of both Kidney and Northern so some dummy like me doesn’t use dry !
Hi Mark, Oh my goodness I didn’t realize it didn’t specify the “canned.” I have updated that to clarify. I’m sorry about that.
Can I use my crock pot for this?
Hi Diane, I haven’t tested that in a slow cooker to advise. If you experiment, please let me know how you like that.
Not only do l love your recipes, you put a smile on my face every time I watch your videos.Keep doing what you’re doing please!
You’re so nice! Thank you!
Regarding freezing. If you make a large batch that you will not be consuming it all within the week & want to freeze some, I suggest before you add the pasta that you divide the sauce & freeze. Now you can add the appropriate amount of pasta to your current pot. The frozen sauce for later, add the appropriate amount of pasta to the reheated sause at time.
Thank you for sharing your tips on freezing this!
Nobody beats my pasta e fagioli. Everyone that’s had it asks for the recipe. I’ve had Olive Gardens. It stinks. And there’s no beef in that soup. Pasta e fagioli means pasta and beans….no meat!
Btw, I love your recipes, but I can’t like this one. I made your chicken marsala tonight. Yummy!
No worries but good to know that you liked the Chicken Marsala!
Hi Do you add the pasta un cooked ?
Yes, that is correct.
Love your videos! I tried the Pasta e Fagioli tonight for dinner. My husband and I both loved it. Our only negative comment is that we thought it had way too much Italian seasoning in it. Next time I plan to cut that in half. I did substitute elbow macaroni for the ditalini pasta and had to substitute cannellini beans for the great northern beans since I didn’t have either of those two ingredients on hand. I’m thinking of trying your broccoli cheese, potato, and corn chowder soups in the future.
Thanks for your comments and feedback, Barb. Thanks for sharing the substitutes that you used and that sounds like a good idea. Please feel free to amend the recipe according to your preference. I hope you love every recipe that you will try!
I made this the other night and it was a huge hit. Loved the flavor and the easiness of the recipe. thank you,
Hello Cathy, you are so welcome. I’m happy that you enjoyed this recipe!
I followed the recipe to the letter; the soup is good, but sadly not the claimed soup from Olive Garden.
Hi Alex, I always feel homemade is better because of better quality ingredients.
Hi Alex, I too love the soup and have made it many times over the years and get close enough. The key is to develop some flavors. Olive Garden, just like Wendy’s (chili) uses left over cooked beef which already has a flavor profile. So did old school cooks – stews are leftover cooked meat with fresh veg to liven them up. Cooking everything fresh will not bring richness.
1. Take 25% of the ground beef and cook in a cast iron skillet with 25% of the chopped onions until reduced down to REALLY dark crumbles. NOT burnt, takes some time. This develops a richer flavor.
2. Use beef STOCK and not chicken to further richen the flavor.
3. Kick up the amount of garlic for that familiar tang.
4. I cooked the pasta el dente first, recipe didn’t say.
5. Salt/pepper remaining meat in chunks under the broiler in the oven for a grilled richness, doesn’t take long.
Give it another try… the ingredient given are spot on…
This is a delicious and hearty soup!
I’m happy you enjoyed that Paula! Thank you for sharing that wonderful review with me!
Does it seem like a lot of celery once it’s all cooked? One stalk seems like a lot.
Hi Stephanie, we didn’t think it was too much but you are welcome to add less.
Does this taste like olive garden’s soup?
You should try it but I personally think that homemade is so much better.
Ok, thank you.
I definitely will try it.
Looks so yummy in the pictures!!
Hi Stephanie! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for that awesome feedback!
I just made this soup.. i exchanged the beans with a 32 oz jar of 16 bean that i had canned. I then canned the remaining soup.. (without the noodles). I had one jar which didn’t seal and was worried the flavor would change thru the canning process… OMG!! It was so good.. even without the noodles. I will be making more of this soup just to can for this winter.. thank you for sharing the recipe
It is so wonderful to read your awesome comments and feedback, Joni. I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing that with us, we appreciate it.
I made the pasta soup and it came out very delicious. Thank you for your recipe.
You are most welcome. Thanks for sharing your good feedback!
This is the first I ever made soup from scratch. My husband loved it. It made so much I gave some to my Mom and some to my neighbor. Rave Reviews!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing that with me, Darlene!
First time making this soup, it is absolutely delicious!!!! I used pinto beans and navy beans.
Thankyou Natasha for sharing this amazing recipe!
You’re welcome, Linda! I’m so happy you’re enjoying this recipe!
What’s a good substitute for northern beans.
Hi Maha, sorry but I haven’t tried any other substitute to advise.
Cannalini
Great soup- I had been making something similar but w/beef broth. I think the chicken broth is an improvement. I did add a little spinach and mushrooms. Will make again.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
I stopped including pasta in my soups while cooking. I cook the pasta separate and add to the soup bowl before adding the soup. The pasta absorbs too much of the soup liquid. It might be a small extra step but worth it.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me Kathy!
That is the best way to do the pasta. On top of that, I cook the pasta in chicken broth for more flavor. The throw it in the soup!
Thank you for sharing that with us Carol!
Just made your delicious soup! Amazing! Thank you for an easy and wonderful recipe! So nourishing and flavorful! I love your videos and can’t wait to try more recipes!
You are very welcome, Mollie. It’s so great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!
Hi Natasha & Natalya,
If I were to use a flavored tomato sauce from Barilla, which one would you recommend?
I’m planning to make this dish this weekend, and I was thinking of using the basil sauce from this brand or do you have a better recommendation?
Thank you!
Hi Mali, without testing this using a flavored tomato sauce, it’s difficult to guess. I would think if it is a basil tomato sauce, the flavor would be complimentary and would work.
Hi natasha Can you please tell me how to use new cast iron pot or how to season cast iron pot and which pots and pans you recommend please I really need your advice can you make a video tutorial on it I will be very thankful to you
Thank you so much for that suggestion! I do have that on my list!
Easy and Delish!
This is the soup I always get at Olive Garden so I was so excited when I saw this recipe! I made it tonight exactly to recipe and it was delicious!! Honestly, as good if not better than Olive Garden! The only thing I needed was their breadsticks! Lol! My boyfriend said to add more broth next time – he likes lots of broth. Other than that he loved it too! Thank you for the great recipes! I have made many of them!
I so love your comments and great feedback. It’s so inspiring and it really makes me happy that you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
What is a serving size? I’m on WW and was wondering.
Thank you
Hi Deborah, the serving size is in the recipe card along with the estimated nutrition label.
This is the soup I always get at Olive Garden so I was so excited when I saw this recipe! I made it tonight exactly to recipe and it was delicious!! Honestly, as good if not better than Olive Garden! The only thing I needed was their breadsticks! Lol! My boyfriend said to add more broth next time – he likes lots of broth. Other than that he loved it too! Thank you for the great recipes! I have made many of them!
My grandmother always tossed her cooked noodles with a small amount of warm oil, then added them to the soup.
My mom just kept the cooked noodles in a separate container.
Either one works from stopping the pasta from absorbing the broth.
I love this recipe! Thank you!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe Elaine! Thank you for sharing that with me!
I made your pasta e fagioli today and it was awesome. My daughter kept telling me how great it was after just about every bite, and then when she was done, she told me that I should hang a picture of you in our kitchen to pay homage to you every time we cook one of your recipes. How great of a compliment is that! I love that my daughter loves your food. Thanks for the recipes!
Angelo Donadio
HAHA that is the best!! Thank you for putting a big smile on my face with that thoughtful comment!
Hello Natasha, I love your recipes and your bubbly personality and how are you are on camera. This is the second time I’ve made the recipe; however, this time I made it all in the instant pot. I added all ingredients except Parmesan cheese and the pasta to the instant pot after browning the ground beef and sautéing veggies, set IP manual for 4 then quick release, then added pasta for another 5 minutes on manual. Then natural release for 15 minutes. Came out perfectly all in one pot. Thanks for the great recipe.
That is awesome Keith, thank you so much for sharing your process with us! That’s very useful info especially for others who also wants to do the same process.
Loved this recipe. The deviation we did was instead of 1 Tbsp of italian seasoning, we added the individual seasons instead (thyme, rosemary, basil, marjoram, oregeno) and the flavors really popped!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
How much of each seasoning did you use?
The soup was delicious I’ll definitely make it again. Thank you for the recipe!!
I hope you love it! Thank you for that feedback!
Great, hearty soup! Improvised with items in my pantry. Good for the freezer, just add the pasta (gluten free for me) when you’re heating up your soup.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Carolynn. Thank you for giving a great review!
Thanks for another great recipe. I used elbow pasta. We all loved it as usual, Always looking forward to your recipes.
You’re welcome Wendy! I’m so glad you enjoyed that.
I used small elbows…..had the item for lunch many years ago at the Sacramento restaurant.
I like to nibble on a stick of dry parmesan while eating the soup
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Will make tomorrow, never heard of this pasta and could not find at Safeway, What other pasta will work.. Love all your recipes.
I Wendy, another pasta should work – elbows, mini farfalle, and orzo work. Some readers even substituted it with rice.
So love this soup!!! I’m going to convert to cook in my IP but stumped on how long to cook? 20 minutes? Then add pasta at end and cook for 1 minute. Thx!
Hi Mary Beth! I have not tested that to advise but it sounds like it may work. If you experiment please let me know how you like the recipe.
Hi,
Sorry for the stupid question but do you have to cook the pasta before you add it to the soup?
Hi Sue, the pasta was not pre-cooked. It cooks during the last ten minutes.
Ok thank you. The soup is delicious by the way.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
Hi Natasha. Why chicken broth and not beef broth. Wouldn’t beef broth give it more flavor?
Hi Sherry, we loved it with chicken broth. If you experiment with beef broth I would love to know how you liked that!
Hi Natasha,
This looks delicious. Can’t wait to try it. What do you think of adding barley instead of pasta? Will it work in this recipe?
Thanks,
Luba.
That’s a great question, Luba! I have not tested that to advise but it sounds like it may work. If you experiment please let me know how you like the recipe.
Made this last night, and it is delicious. I will cook vegetables a little longer next time, though. I sauteed mine quite awhile, but some we’re still a little too crunchy!
Great recipe! Since the pasta goes mushy when frozen, I remove half of the soup to the freezer just before the pasta goes in. I then use half the pasta in the remaining soup and the other half in the frozen portion when I reheat it. We eat this soup often.
That’s a great idea, Donna! Thank you for that awesome review!
What is the green garnish in your pictures? Is it parsley?
Hi Eve, yes it is parsley.
I see the recipe calls for 1 stalk celery…. is that right? Or does it mean 1 rib/stick of celery?
Thanks
Hi John, that is correct.
Thanks for sharing this. This recipe will become a staple in our home…this soup is soooo hearty, delicious and such a wintertime “comfort food”. Everyone gives this 5 stars!!
Thank you for the wonderful review, Linda!!
We really love this soup!! I used to buy it with the recipe with dried beans in a bag. Sorry to say, they don’t sell it anymore, So, I’m so happy that you put this one online!! I will be using dried beans in all of the recipes. Please let me know the difference in how to make this if possible & in a crockpot. My other question is that I have some fresh mushrooms, what would you think about adding them to this recipe. Thank You for your help.
Hi Connie, I haven’t tested that in a slow cooker to advise. If you experiment, please let me know how you like that.
Hi Natasha!
I’m a huge fan of all your recipes and you have never steered me wrong. Love everything you make!!
For the pasta in this, do you put it in dry and let it cook in the soup or cook it before hand and then add it? I know pastas can be wierd in soups and stews sometimes.
Thanks!!
Hi Lianne, you add the pasta un-cooked in step 6 and it cooks with the other ingredients. It’s added at the end for that reason – you cook it until the pasta reaches your desired doneness.
I just love your recipes and make a lot of them! Not kidding and they are always very good. I will be making this soon. Thank you
Thank you for the wonderful review!
Natasha, I have made more than 25 of your recipes to date (many, numerous times each), and they are all delicious . . . this one was no exception. I made a double batch (my only substitution was using ground turkey instead of the beef). An impromptu invititation to my elder sons and accompanied by some simple “7-Up Biscuits”, dinner was great. Thank you for all you do and share!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!!
I was wondering if I could substitute turkey instead of using beef. Thanks Scott for your comment.
Instead of ground beef, can I use an equal amount of stew meat?
Hi Betty, I haven’t tested that but I imagine that should work.
This soup is surprisingly easy! Totally delicious. Thanks for the Parmesan rind tip! I’m going to try it!
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed this recipe, Laura!
Natasha, this soup looks so delicious! I can wait to make it tonight. Thank You!
I hope you love it, Luba!
Use chick peas in place of the kidney beans. Add a leafy green. Traditionally it would be Escarole or chicory. Don’t use strong flavored greens like Kale. In a pinch you could use Spinach. We skip the meat. But my grandmother (from Italy) used ham.
Super great family meal. Some crunchy bread and a salad Yum
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Suzann!
Natasha, I love your recipes & have tried many of them. They are always great! Thank You for doing such amazing job! This soup looks delicious & I am planning to make it tonight.
Thank you for that wonderful compliment! You’re so nice!
Hey Natasha! This looks like fall in soup-from! So comforting!
I was wondering, if I were to make this in my slow cooker, what would be the directions for that?
Keep smiling and keep cooking!
Hi Nazish, I haven’t tested that in a slow cooker to advise. If you experiment, please let me know how you like that.
This was so tasty and actually pretty easy to make too! Can’t wait to try it again!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Yum! I made this on Sunday and it was a huge hit with my family. I’ll be making it again for sure.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
One of the most flavorful soups! Glad I can make it at home! Thank you!
That’s just awesome, Natalie! Thank you for that great review.
I made this soup this weekend but as a vegetarian, omitted the beef and subbed in veggie stock and 1/2 a bag of frozen chopped spinach. It’s truly flavorful and delicious – So simple and versatile! Thanks!
You’re welcome, Sue! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
I can’t wait to make this tonight! My one question is, can you use an immersion blender to make this a little thicker??
I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Pasta e Fagioli is such a great comfort food dish for chilly weather. Yours looks great.
Isn’t it the best! Thank you for that compliment, Valerie!
Hi Natasha,
Lovely recipe and pictures, can’t wait to try to make it. I was wondering if it’s possible to omit the pasta? If yes, then what else might I have to also leave out or use less of? Thank you.
Hi Irina, you could leave out the pasta but it will be a little juicier since the pasta absorbs some of the liquid. I think it would still be a tasty vegetable soup. You could even use a little rice if you wanted it heartier or just add a little more veggies.