This Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli recipe will have you feeling like you just walked into the garden of olives! It’s like an Italian version of chili with sausage, carrots, onion, celery, tomatoes, beans and so much more! This is a perfect copycat recipe and tastes exactly like the real thing.
What You Will ❤️ About Pasta Fagioli
- Italian Chili – When I first tried it, the server said it was like an Italian Chili and he was right. It’s got that comforting warmth plus beans, noodles, veggies and more!
- Easy! This is a super easy soup to make – and every bite has so much flavor!
- Hearty! Pasta e Fagioli soup is so hearty with Italian sausage, pasta and veggies – it is definitely enough to be a main dish!
Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli Soup Ingredients
I knew this soup was for me when I saw what was in it – it’s like a warm hug in a bowl! Here’s what you need:
- Italian sausage – you can swap out ground beef if you like or even ground turkey if you’re trying to keep the calories down
- Holy Trinity: Sweet onion, Carrot & Celery
- Garlic
- Diced Tomatoes
- Beans: Kidney Beans & Great Northern Beans
- Tomato sauce
- V8 juice – this is ESSENTIAL to give the “broth” it’s flavor. Feel free to use low sodium if that’s a concern to you.
- Vinegar
- Spices: Salt, Black Pepper, Dried Oregano, Basil & Thyme
- Ditalini – this is important – it’s exactly what OG uses! But you could sub with any other fairly small pasta to keep that same “spoonful” goodness!
- Water – this can easily thicken up so add water to make it the “soup” consistency that you are looking for. You can also swap with chicken broth or beef broth.
How to make Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli recipe
This soup recipe is very simple to make! Brown the meat and add everything else! Boom you’re done. Let’s do this:
- In a Dutch Oven, brown sausage for five minutes over medium-high heat until it’s cooked about 1/2 way through.
- Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute for 5 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients except pasta and water and simmer at low – medium heat for 1 hour.
- After about 45 minutes, bring a separate pot of water to boil and cook ditalini pasta according to package directions for al dente (tender but firm). Drain and set aside.
- While pasta is cooking, add 2 cups water to simmering mixture in large pot
- Right before serving, add pasta to soup and stir to combine
- Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve with breadsticks & salad
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Tips, Tricks & FAQs
How do you make Olive Garden’s Pasta Fagioli in the Crockpot?
Yes! I usually just make this on the top of the stove – but you can easily make this in the slow cooker. My one tip is – brown the sausage first – then add it with everything to the pot – EXCEPT the extra water and cooked pasta. Make the pasta when you are ready to serve and add at the end otherwise it absorbs too much liquid.
Can you freeze Olive Garden’s Pasta Fagioli?
Yes! I love this soup but I don’t love eating it 7 days in a row. I’ll have it for dinner and then leave a couple servings in the fridge for a couple of lunches or dinner – but the rest – goes right into freezer/microwave safe glass bowls and pop them in the freezer.
How do you best reheat Olive Garden’s Pasta Fagioli?
If you’re like me and know you’re going to have leftovers – just put the pasta into the bowls you’re going to serve – and not the whole pot. What I did was spoon the leftovers out into the storage bowls and then add the pasta on top of the soup in each bowl and did NOT stir! If you leave it on top – it’s not going to absorb all that liquid. Then when you reheat – add a little water (1/3 cup per bowl) – and microwave.
What to serve with Olive Garden’s Pasta Fagioli?
More Olive Garden Recipes
- Soups & Salads
- Appetizers
- Famous Pasta Dishes
- Classic Pasta Sauces
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Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb italian sausage
- 1.5 cup onion 1 medium, diced
- 1 large carrot julienned
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 1 Tbsp garlic minced
- 28 oz diced tomatoes
- 15 oz red kidney beans with liquid
- 15 oz great northern beans with liquid
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 1.5 cups V8 juice
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp basil
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1/2 pound ditali pasta aka ditalini
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- In a Dutch Oven, brown sausage for five minutes over medium-high heat until it’s cooked about 1/2 way through.1 lb italian sausage
- Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute for 5 minutes.1.5 cup onion, 1 large carrot, 3 stalks celery, 1 Tbsp garlic
- Add remaining ingredients except pasta and water and simmer at low – medium heat for 1 hour.28 oz diced tomatoes, 15 oz red kidney beans with liquid, 15 oz great northern beans with liquid, 15 oz tomato sauce, 1.5 cups V8 juice, 1 tbsp vinegar, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp basil, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp thyme
- After about 45 minutes, bring a separate pot of water to boil and cook ditalini pasta according to package directions for al dente (tender but firm). Drain and set aside.1/2 pound ditali pasta
- While pasta is cooking, add 2 cups water to simmering mixture in large pot2 cups water
- Right before serving, add pasta to soup and stir to combine
- Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve with breadsticks & salad
Anonymous says
This is my soup of choice–I'll have to try this recipe.
Food Hussy says
You'll love it! I make it every year at the first sign of fall!
Anonymous says
My best friend and I did a 4 day whirlwind trip to New York last year..after what seemed like 4 hours traveling on the open air tour bus being baked into oblivion I spied a Olive Garden ( they've all but closed up in Canada). I jumped off the bus and ran into the restaurant. For some reason I ordered this soup and I swear it saved my life..it was all-you-could-eat and I had 4 bowls (kept apologising to waitress)..it was pure heaven..thank you for posting this recipe
Food Hussy says
Bhahaha – i love that!!!
Unknown says
Thanks
Dana says
How do I make this in the crockpot? Timing?
FoodHussy says
– Brown sausage for five minutes in dutch oven or large pot – should be cooked about 1/2 way through
– Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute for 5 minutes
– Add sausage mixture and remaining ingredients except pasta and water to crock pot and heat on low for 4 hours
– About 15 minutes before serving, cook ditalini pasta and drain
– While pasta is cooking, add 2 cups pasta water to simmering mixture in crock pot
– Right before serving, add pasta to crock pot and stir
Kathy Missouri says
Closest thing you will ever get to Olive Garden. Perfect.
FoodHussy says
Thank you – it was my favorite so I made sure to get it right!