This easy Pasta Fagioli Soup recipe is a combination of pasta, beans, and vegetables in a tomato style broth. It’s hearty and comforting.
Why You’ll Love This Pasta Fagioli Soup
Pasta e Fagioli Soup from Olive Garden is one of their most beloved soups. If you want to make your own version at home, this recipe is for you.
Whether you’re trying to cook more at home, or just don’t feel like going out, this soup will have you wanting to make it at home every time.
What is Pasta e Fagioli Soup?
Pasta e fagioli is a tomato based soup full of white & red beans, vegetables, herbs, and spices.
What does pasta e fagioli mean in English?
Pasta e fagioli translates to “pasta and beans” in English.
Ingredients for Easy Pasta Fagioli
- Italian Turkey Sausage
- Celery
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Dried Onion
- Crushed Tomatoes
- Tomato Sauce
- Chicken Stock
- Dried Basil
- Dried Oregano
- Dried Thyme
- Ditalini Pasta
- Kidney Beans
- Great Northern Beans
How to Make Pasta Fagioli Soup (Step by Step)
Detailed instructions and measurements to make Pasta e Fagioli Soup are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Add the turkey Italian sausage, celery, and carrots to a heavy bottomed pot. I like to use an enamel cast iron dutch oven.
- Saute until the sausage is cooked through and celery and carrots have softened.
- Add in the minced garlic and dried chopped onion. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce. Stir to combine.
- Add in the kidney and great northern beans. Simmer on low for 10 minutes.
- Add the basil, oregano, and thyme. Mix and then add the chicken stock. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling add in the ditalini pasta. Cook until al dente.
- Serve topped with fresh grated parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Pasta Fagioli Soup FAQs
You can cook the pasta separately if you plan to make a lot of soup in advance.
The biggest difference between the two soups are the vegetables. Minestrone is comprised primarily of vegetables while pasta fagioli is beans and pasta.
No, it has both Italian sausage and chicken stock in the recipe.
Fresh grated parmesan cheese and breadsticks are great with pasta e fagioli.
Traditional pasta e fagioli was considered a peasant dish because of it’s ingredients. It was a broth based soup with simply beans, vegetables, and spices.
There is no difference. Pasta Fazool is an Americanized slang term for pasta fagioli. They both describe the same dish.
You can make this recipe in the crock pot, but you’ll need to cook the Italian Sausage before adding it to the crock pot. You’ll also need to omit the pasta until the very end.
What to Serve with Pasta Fagioli
I love eating Pasta Fagioli topped with some shredded parmesan cheese and Parmesan Garlic Breadsticks for dipping.
Alterations for Pasta Fagioli with Sausage
- Turkey Italian Sausage – You can use pork Italian sausage here, but you will likely need to drain it after browning. It can be very greasy and you don’t want that in the soup.
- Dried Chopped Onion – fresh onion works here as well, but go easy on it. You don’t want the onion overpowering the soup.
- Chicken Stock – Both vegetable stock and beef stock work. Use what you have on hand. I would not recommend seafood stock.
- Ditalini Pasta – You can use any small shaped pasta. Mini shells work well too.
Can I use dried beans?
If you want to use dried beans, you will need to cook them first. You cannot put dried beans directly into the soup.
Storing this Pasta Fagioli Soup Recipe
You can store cooled pasta Fagioli soup in an airtight container. Place it in the refrigerator and store for up to 3 days.
As your soup sits in the fridge, the pasta will continue to absorb the broth. When reheating, I recommend adding in additional broth or water.
To avoid the pasta soaking up all of the broth, you can use two alternatives. You can cook and store the pasta separately and add it in when eating, or you can strain the broth before storing it. Store the broth separately and add it in when reheating.
Can You Freeze Pasta Fagioli Soup
Yes, you can freeze pasta fagioli, but the pasta will continue to absorb liquid and can become softer after freezing and reheating. For the best texture, freeze the soup without the ditalini and cook fresh pasta when you’re ready to serve it. Freeze the cooled soup in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
If you’re freezing leftovers with the pasta already in the soup, that’s fine too. Just expect the pasta to be softer, and add a little extra chicken stock or water when reheating since it will absorb more of the broth.
Other soup recipes you might like
- Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
- Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
- Easy Chicken and Dumplings with Biscuits
- One Pot Lasagna Soup
- Tortellini Tomato Florentine
Pasta Fagioli Soup with Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 pound turkey italian sausage
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 3 whole carrots peeled and diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons dried chopped onion
- 15 ounce canned crushed tomatoes
- 29 ounce canned tomato sauce
- 15 ounce kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce great northern beans drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ tablespoon dried thyme
- 5 cups chicken stock low sodium preferred
- 1½ cups ditalini pasta
Instructions
- Add the turkey Italian sausage, celery, and carrots to a heavy bottomed pot. I like to use an enamel cast iron dutch oven.
- Saute until the sausage is cooked through and celery and carrots have softened.
- Add in the minced garlic and dried chopped onion. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce. Stir to combine.
- Add in the kidney and great northern beans. Simmer on low for 10 minutes.
- Add the basil, oregano, and thyme. Mix and then add the chicken stock. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling add in the ditalini pasta. Cook until al dente.
- Serve topped with fresh grated parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy. It should only be used for estimation purposes and is not a guarantee of any kind. Nutritional information varies widely between brands and types of ingredients used. It is recommended that you calculate the nutritional information based on your own ingredients and brands used. Sweetly Splendid, LLC makes no guarantees as to the exact nutrition information.
Looks delicious! I can’t wait to give this one a try. I love Pasta e Fagioli.
Omg!!! This is the perfect soup for these cold winter days, the house smells terrific, nice and cozy. Im just gonna add a loaf of crusty bread… this soup is a 10!!!
Yummm! Nice crusty bread + pasta fagioli sounds like the perfect combo!