Home » Slow Cooker Recipes » Crock Pot Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli (+Video)

Crock Pot Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli (+Video)

This easy Crock Pot Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli soup recipe is packed with flavor. You’ll love it better than the Olive Garden version!

A DELICIOUS OLIVE GARDEN SOUP RECIPE

I will be the first to admit that the first time I ever heard of or tasted this soup was at Olive Garden. I know it existed in Italy long before Olive Garden was ever around but it was Olive Garden that introduced me to this seriously yummy and hearty soup.

an overhead photo of pasta e fagioli in a white bowl with a breadstick on the side.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

How do you make pasta e fagioli without a crock pot?

You can make this without a slow cooker. Follow the instructions below, but instead of adding to a slow cooker, just put all ingredients in a large pot (except for the pasta). Cook over low heat for about an hour. During the last 15-20 minutes, add in the pasta.

What does Pasta e Fagioli mean in English?

Pasta e Fagioli is Italian for “Pasta and Beans”.

Can you use sausage in pasta e fagioli?

Absolutely. You can substitute the ground beef in this recipe for ground Italian sausage or you could use half ground beef and half sausage.

Is pasta fazool the same as pasta fagioli?

Yes. Americans tend to pronounce it as pasta fazool which is a take on the Neapolitan (Naples, Italy) pronunciation of pasta e fasule. But in the Italian mainland, it is generally pronounced as “paa·stuh faa·jee·o·lee”

What’s the difference between minestrone soup and pasta fagioli?

They are actually very similar! Minestrone is heavy on the vegetables with lots of variety where as pasta Fagioli’s main focus is mostly on the beans and the smaller pasta shapes.

How do you store leftover pasta e fagioli?

If you know you are going to want to have leftovers, I would not add the pasta in with the whole slow cooker of soup towards the end of cooking. I would cook the pasta separately and add it to individual servings. The reason being is pasta will continue to absorb any liquid it is in long after it has stopped cooking. Store your soup and pasta separately in covered containers in the refrigerator and mix the two only when reheating. The soup will stay good in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Crock Pot Pasta e Fagioli shown in a white bowl with a spoon and a piece of garlic bread on the side.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

  • ground beef
  • onion
  • carrots
  • celery
  • diced tomatoes
  • dark red kidney beans
  • cannellini beans
  • spaghetti sauce
  • beef broth
  • dried oregano
  • dried parsley
  • salt and pepper
  • ditalini pasta
ground beef, onion, carrots, celery, diced tomatoes, dark red kidney beans, cannellini beans, spaghetti sauce, dried oregano, dried parsley, black pepper, ditalini pasta, salt.

HOW TO MAKE OLIVE GARDEN PASTA E FAGIOLI SOUP:

Brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease.

browning the ground beef in a large skillet.

Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker (except for pasta) and stir.

pasta e fagioli ingredients added to slow cooker.

Set slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. 

pasta e fagioli soup in an oval slow cooker.

During the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, add in the pasta and stir.

uncooked ditalini pasta added to slow cooker.

Cook’s Notes: Pasta likes to absorb a lot of the liquid so if you like your soup a bit more soupy, be prepared to have an extra can of beef broth handy. You can add it in towards the end. Also, another way to avoid this is to precook your pasta first and then add it in at the end.

a silver ladle holding up a serving of pasta e fagioli over a slow cooker.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

Crock Pot Copycat Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli

Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli (+Video)

This easy Crock Pot Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli soup recipe is packed with flavor. Full of ground beef, pasta, veggies all in a flavorful Italian soup!
5 from 40 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 2 carrots, finely diced
  • 2 stalks celery, finely diced
  • 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 15 ounce can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 26 ounce container beef stock (or 3 cups)
  • 25 ounce jar spaghetti sauce
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ tablespoon salt
  • 1 cup ditalini pasta (or your favorite pasta shape)

Instructions

  • Brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease. Add into the slow cooker.
  • Add all the other ingredients to the slow cooker (except for pasta) and stir.
  • Cover and set slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours
  • During the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, add in the pasta and stir. Cook until pasta is al dente then serve with breadsticks!

Video

YouTube video

Notes

  • Pasta likes to absorb a lot of the liquid so if you like your soup a bit more soupy, be prepared to have an extra can of beef broth handy. You can add it in towards the end.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 15g | Sodium: 317mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Originally published: November 2011
Updated & republished: December 2021

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Recipe Rating




98 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This recipe is a regular in our home!! So yummy. I add onion powder, garlic, and that’s it! It’s excellent for leftovers/meal prep. Thank you!!!

  2. 5 stars
    Love this recipe ….shared with others !! Better than Olive Garden !! Only change was I added a sprinkle of garlic powder !!

  3. 5 stars
    Delicious! Made it exactly as written, except I used a can of diced tomatoes, onions and peppers instead of plain tomatoes and fresh parsley, since we still had some in the herb garden. Served with parmesan on top and garlic bread on the side, and it was a wonderful winter meal. Will DEFINITELY make again! Thanks so much!

  4. 5 stars
    Love this recipe! Forecast is snow tomorrow, so we are looking forward to this for dinner tomorrow – still simmering in the crock pot tonight. Thanks for sharing a great recipe!

  5. 5 stars
    I followed the recipe exactly, and it turned out so well. My pickup toddler asked for a second helping. This will definitely go into rotation!