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.
I’ve made it several different ways over the years. It was all basically the same recipe, with small differences, and all of them were good in their own right. Then I started seeing recipes that were just like the ones I had but there was one big difference…jarred spaghetti sauce. Well, it was that jarred spaghetti sauce that would do it for me. It really helps add another layer of flavor to an already delicious soup. Who knew Prego would be so good for my soup?
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can cannellini beans (or white kidney beans), drained and rinsed
1 (26 oz.) container beef stock (or 3 cups)
1 jar (25 oz.) spaghetti sauce
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup uncooked ditalini pasta (see cook’s notes below)
salt, to taste (about ½ tbsp. kosher salt)
2 carrots, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can cannellini beans (or white kidney beans), drained and rinsed
1 (26 oz.) container beef stock (or 3 cups)
1 jar (25 oz.) spaghetti sauce
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup uncooked ditalini pasta (see cook’s notes below)
salt, to taste (about ½ tbsp. kosher salt)
Directions:
Brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease.
Finely diced onions, celery, carrots…
Don’t forget to drain and rinse your beans.
Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker (except for pasta) and stir.
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’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. Also, you can do this without a slow cooker. Follow the instructions above, 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.
Enjoy!
Crock Pot Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli Soup
Print Pin RatePrep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 331kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 2 carrots finely diced
- 2 stalks celery finely diced
- 1 can diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 can dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 can cannellini beans drained and rinsed, or white kidney beans
- 1 26 oz container beef stock or 3 cups
- 1 25 oz jar jar spaghetti sauce
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- salt to taste (about 1/2 tbsp)
- 1 cup ditalini pasta or your favorite pasta shape
Instructions
- Brown and crumble ground beef.
- Drain excess grease.
- Add all the other ingredients to the slow cooker (except for pasta) and stir.
- 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.
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 317mg | Potassium: 615mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 69.1% | Vitamin C: 3.6% | Calcium: 5.1% | Iron: 13.4%
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SusanMarie says
Just made this! Absolutely delish!! Remember to add the grated parm before serving!! Can't wait to make more of your recipies!
Jennifer Myers says
I made this for dinner tonight. Very yummy and so easy too! Even my very picky son ate it AND liked it. Thanks for sharing your recipes with us!
Kenya G. Johnson says
I made this. The house smells WONDERFUL. It's done. No one has eaten yet but it is delicious!!!
Rosalinda says
Just made this soup for my daughter's Christmas party! It tasted just like olive garden! Love it! Thank you so much. Your blog is wonderful. I especially appreciate your pictures of the products you use for the recipe. It makes things so much easier. Thanks for sharing your talents with us.
Anonymous says
Hi try making the pasta on the side and add it when you dish up . Works great and you don't have to worry about the pasta absorb up the liquid.
Anonymous says
Delicious! I made it using Italian seasoned ground turkey. A new family favorite!
Stephanie @CopyKat.com says
I love that recipe with the jarred sauce too 😉 You have beautiful photos.
Lisa says
I wanted to let you know that I tried this recipe a few weeks ago, and it has been requested 2 more times since. It was a big hit at our Christmas Eve party, too. I made it again last night for a New Year's Eve Party by request. I had been on the lookout for a good recipe that was simple because my husband loves this stuff at Olive Garden. This one will be on our regular menu now. Thank you.
Lisa
Anonymous says
Just a note, OG also uses italian ground sausage and they do not add the cooked pasta until ready to serve.
Anonymous says
I made this last night. It was very good. I had to add two more containers beef broth, because after I added the noodles they just sucked up the juice. I also used diced tomatoes that had Basil, garlic, and oregano. I also cooked it on the stove top. I will be making this again!!!
Anonymous says
1) Always add pasta after cooking it – and right before serving. I am never adding it until we are getting ready to eat – it may do ok to add before going off to work. It makes mush if you cook it in or leave it in. Lesson learned on that.
2) V8 juice adds an amazing layer. I didn't have any more broth and needed liquid with flavor. Really made it even better and added a beautiful layer.
carmen antone says
Made this soup tonight….It was wonderful…had to add a little more beef broth probably because I coooked it longer than the hour listed….wonderful for this cold night.
Lucia Schultz says
OUTSTANDING!! I will make this often..thanks
Anonymous says
Skip the beef and beef stock. Use vegetable stock and if you must have a "meat" use soy sausage. This is a perfect soup for vegans.
Anonymous says
I made this for dinner tonight. Followed the recipe except used ground turkey. It was delicious and makes a crock pot full. Will be making this often!
Lisa B. says
This was AMAZING!!!!! I definitely agree with everyone who says to cook & store the pasta separately – I cooked it separately, but mixed it before storing and the pasta, even though it was cooked, continued to soak up the broth. My only other suggestion would be to decrease the black pepper a bit because it was a lot more pepper-y than the Olive Garden's version. Aside from that, this was absolutely perfect – and I generally don't think knockoff recipes taste much like the original. This was definitely one that did!
Anonymous says
My sweetie said, "This looks good. Wanna' make it?" I did. It is excellent. Much better than I expected. Now we're going to try the salad dressing!
Anonymous says
What size are the cans of beans and tomatoes?