Pasta e Fagioli Soup

This easy, Pasta e Fagioli soup is hearty and comforting. Enjoy better-than-the-restaurant quality soup when you prepare this delicious dish at home.

A close-up of pasta e fagioli soup

It’s been unseasonably cold this year in my area and let’s just say I’m a cold-weather wimp. When the weather turns cold, my body craves soup! Soup is just so warm and comforting. A couple of winters ago, I introduced you to my favorite Chicken Pot Pie Soup – which remains my most popular recipe on the blog for two years running (yay!).

Another family favorite is my Loaded Baked Potato Soup and if you have some leftovers to use up after the holidays, why not try this Leftover Ham Chowder. All of these are great choices to chase away the winter blues.

But today – today we’re talking about Pasta e Fagioli Soup. Yes, your favorite Olive Garden Soup. Wait until I tell you how easy this soup is to make, you’re going to kick yourself!

It’s only minutes of prep work and comes together with full flavor in just 30-minutes. Yes – 30-minutes!

Italian sausage being browned in a 5-qt Dutch oven.

Is Pasta e Fagioli Soup Vegetarian?

Traditionally, it is not. However, you can use tofu crumbles instead of the sausage if you prefer. Leaving the meat out altogether makes a great vegetarian soup your whole family will love. For a vegetarian soup visit my Italian Minestrone Soup with pasta and beans. Equally delicious!

What Ingredients are in Pasta e Fagioli Soup?

  • Ditalini pasta – ditalini is traditional but you can also use elbow macaroni
  • Italian sausage – I use spicy Italian sausage which I remove from the casings and crumble while it cooks.
  • Salt – I use fine Kosher salt but table salt may be used at a 1:1 ratio.
  • Ground black pepper – freshly cracked pepper tastes best but
  • Garlic – freshly minced garlic has a definitive flavor advantage over jarred minced garlic which is not as flavorful.
  • Onion – I use sweet Vidalia onions but Spanish white or yellow onions may also be used.
  • Carrots – I use organic carrots which I peel and dice.
  • Celery – I use green celery from which I have removed the strings and dice.
  • Vegetable broth – May be substituted for water with a flavor loss.
  • Red kidney beans – Drain and rinse well
  • Cannellini (white kidney) beans – drain and rinse well
  • Tomato sauce – Use the highest quality sauce for your budget. The flavor is pronounced in the soup so you want it to shine.
  • Diced Tomatoes – Again, use the highest quality for your budget.
  • Dried Italian Seasoning [paid link]See note below

Why Should I drain and Rinse Canned Beans?

The liquid in canned beans consists mostly of starch and salt that may change the texture or taste of your dish. Most of our recipes call for draining and rinsing the beans to remove the excess salt and starch. This significantly improves the sodium content of any recipe containing beans.

Carrots, celery, and onion being browned in a Dutch oven.

How Do I make Pasta e Fagioli Soup?

  1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well and set aside.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven (affiliate link) over medium heat. Add Italian sausage to the skillet and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat and set aside.
  3. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the stockpot. Stir in garlic, onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
  4. Whisk [paid link] in chicken broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian Seasoning [paid link] Spice blend, and Italian sausage; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook until vegetables are tender about 10-15 minutes.
  5. Stir in the beans until just heated through – about 3 minutes.
  6. If serving the full soup with no anticipated leftovers, add the pasta to the soup and stir to combine. Otherwise, I add mine to the bowls at serving. Pasta continues to soak up the soup broth at it sits in the refrigerator.

 

A full pot of Pasta e Fagioli soup.

 What is in Italian Seasoning?

Italian Seasoning is a dry spice blend that is sold where the spices and seasonings are sold. It should not be confused with dry Italian salad dressing mix.

Italian Seasoning contains a blend of dried herbs which includes oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil, rosemary, and sage.

A close-up of pasta e fagioli soup

This makes a big, hearty pot of soup in so little time. I serve this with some crusty bread or breadsticks and a fresh garden salad.

Seriously, it makes a lot of soup! There’s plenty enough to serve 6-8 people.

This easy, Pasta Fagioli soup is hearty and comforting. Eat Soup better than the restaurant version when you try this soup!

Pasta e Fagioli Soup

Ronda Eagle | Kitchen Dreaming
This easy, Pasta e Fagioli soup is hearty and comforting. Enjoy better-than-the-restaurant quality soup when you prepare this delicious dish at home!
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine Italian
Servings 8 servings
Calories 297 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 cup ditalini pasta , regular, whole wheat or gluten-free
  • 1 pound spicy Italian sausage , loose or with the casings removed
  • Salt and ground black pepper , to taste
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 onion , diced
  • 3 carrots , peeled and diced
  • 2 stalks celery , diced
  • 3 cups vegetable broth [See Note 1]
  • 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans drained and rinsed well
  • 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans drained and rinsed well
  • 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce [See Note 2]
  • 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes [See Note 2]
  • 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning [paid link] [See Note 3]

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well and set aside.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven [paid link] over medium heat. Add Italian sausage to the skillet and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat and set aside.
  • Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the stockpot. Stir in garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Whisk [paid link] in vegetable broth [See Note 1], tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian Seasoning [paid link] Spice blend, and Italian sausage; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook until vegetables are tender - about 10-15 minutes.
  • Stir in the beans until just heated through - about 3 minutes.
  • If serving the full soup with no anticipated leftovers, add the pasta to the soup and stir to combine. Otherwise, I add mine to the bowls at serving. Pasta continues to soak up the soup broth at it sits in the refrigerator.

Notes

  1. Vegetable broth may be omitted and replaced with water or chicken stock. Note there will be a slight flavor difference.
  2. Use the highest quality tomatoes and tomato sauce that your budget allows. The tomato flavor is prominent in this recipe so you want the flavors to really stand out.
  3. Italian Seasoning [paid link] Spice blend is sold where the dried oregano and basil are sold. It is not meant to be confused with dry salad dressing mix.
 

EXPERT TIPS:

 

Why Should I drain and Rinse Canned Beans?

The liquid in canned beans consists mostly of starch and salt that may change the texture or taste of your dish. Most of our recipes call for draining and rinsing the beans to remove the excess salt and starch. This significantly improves the sodium content of any recipe containing beans.

What is in Italian Seasoning?

Italian Seasoning [paid link] is a dry spice blend that is sold where the spices and seasonings are sold. It should not be confused with dry Italian salad dressing mix.
Italian Seasoning [paid link] contains a blend of dried herbs which includes oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil, rosemary, and sage.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 297kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 11gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 786mgPotassium: 295mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 4020IUVitamin C: 3.9mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 1.3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

8 thoughts on “Pasta e Fagioli Soup”

  1. In the list of ingredients it calls for vegetable broth but in the directions it says to stir in chicken broth. Which did you use or are they interchangeable?

    Reply
  2. I really didn’t think we could do better than Olive Garden but it was. Tried another reviewers suggestion and added potatoes. Very good variation

    Reply
  3. This soup is delicious. I never leave comments but had to say I made a big pot for 4 people and I only have one leftover bowl!! I did add potatoes that I peeled and diced small. Also it does come together very fast for a full flavored soup. We added Parmesan cheese to our individual bowls.
    Yummmmm. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating