Grandma's Italian Pasta Fagioli Recipe

This Pasta e Fagioli (sometimes referred to as pasta fazool) is a blend of nostalgia and comfort. It’s part Olive Garden–style copycat and part a loving remake of a soup I enjoyed as a child, made by my next-door neighbor who was the closest thing I had to a grandmother. Rich, hearty, and deeply comforting, this soup brings together familiar flavors and cherished memories in every bowl.

Few people know that growing up, I had an Italian family living next door to me. Mrs. Attardo was the closest thing I had to a grandmother growing up and I can vividly remember her making this semi-homemade Italian soup.

I've been making this pasta fagioli soup instead of chicken soup whenever I'm sick for the last couple of years now. Even though this is considered a "peasant dish," it is one of my go-to meals when I need comforting.

You may have heard or even tried this soup at Olive Garden, but this one is a hundred times better.

Ingredients

Directions

• In a large dutch oven pot over medium high heat, crumble in Italian sausage and cook, stirring until cooked through.
• Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute over medium-high heat until tender, add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
• Add beef broth, tomato paste, marinara, sugar, basil, oregano and thyme.
• Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover with lid and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Add dry ditalini pasta, water, red kidney beans and cannellini beans to soup and cook on low until the pasta is al dente (about 5 more minutes)
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve warm with Parmesan cheese and parsley sprinkled over the top

Variations

Trying to cut back on your carb intake? Simply omit the ditalini pasta and reduce the amount of beans by half

Beef or Pork?

For this pasta fagioli soup recipe, I prefer using spicy pork sausage. I feel it adds a lot more flavor to the soup vs. using ground beef. You can always opt for mild sausage if you're not big on heat. if your don't consume pork products, you can swap out the pork for 80/20 ground beef. If you swap out to beef, I suggest increasing the spices (basil, rosemary, thyme and oregano) about ½ tsp.

Storage

Refrigerator:
Allow the soup to cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4–5 days. Keep in mind the pasta will continue to absorb liquid as it sits, so the soup may thicken over time.

Freezer:
For best results, freeze Pasta e Fagioli without the pasta. Let the soup cool fully, then store in freezer-safe containers or ziplock bags for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, reheat gently on the stove, and add freshly cooked pasta before serving.

Reheating:
Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of broth or water to loosen the soup if it has thickened.

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Print Recipe

Semi-Homemade Italian Pasta Fagioli Recipe

The Olive Garden favorite soup made at home

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 6

Calories: 666kcal

Author: Cari

Ingredients

• 2 lb of italian sausage with no casing I prefer it spicy!
• 1 chopped yellow onion
• 2 large sliced carrots
• 3 stalks of thinly sliced celery
• 5 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 32 oz. container of low sodium beef broth
• 1 cup of water
• 2 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 1 32 oz jar of your favorite Marinara sauce I used Rao's
• 2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon minced fresh basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¾ teaspoon fresh thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper season to taste
• 1 16 oz can of red beans
• 1 16 oz can of cannellini beans
• 1 cup dry ditalini pasta
• parmesan and fresh minced parsley for garnish

Instructions

• In a large pot over medium high heat, crumble in Italian sausage and cook, stirring until cooked through.
• Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute over medium-high heat until tender, add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
• Add beef broth, tomato paste, marinara, sugar, basil, oregano and thyme.
• Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover with lid and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Add dry ditalini, water, kidney beans and cannellini beans to soup and cook on low until the pasta is al dente (about 5 more minutes)
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve warm with Parmesan cheese and parsley sprinkled over the top. .

Notes

This recipe will keep in your refrigerator for upto 5-7 days in an airtight container.

You can also freeze this soup in an airtight container (be sure to allow about ¾-inch for liquid to expand at top of container). It will keep in your freezer for 2-3 months.