Copycat Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Recipe (one pot)

Ingredients

See recipe card for exact amounts.

Ingredient Notes

pasta – Olive Garden uses tubetti pasta (or that is what their website lists as an ingredient in pasta e fagioli), we use ditalini pasta because it is the closest we can find to tubetti. From what I can tell tubetti is slightly longer than ditalini and also has lines on it.

ground beef – I like lean ground beef because it is better for us, but mostly because I don’t have to drain it. If not using lean beef it will need to be drained after you brown it. 

beef broth or beef stock – low sodium broth is a great choice for this dish. 

tomato sauce – this gives our broth rich flavor.

diced tomatoes – we use regular diced tomatoes with nothing added. You can use any variety you like, fire roasted or with onions and peppers added will both work. 

onion – either a yellow or a white onion to add great flavor to the soup.

carrots – we slice our carrots, they can be diced. Or, you can take a shortcut and buy matchstick carrots and use an equal amount of those. 

celery – again, we slice them but they can be diced. 

garlic – I almost always use pre-chopped garlic, the kind that comes in a jar.

beans – we like dark red kidney beans and cannellini beans, also known as white kidney beans. 

herbs and spices – to make this easy we use Italian seasoning which is a blend of marjoram, oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil and sage. We also add salt and a bit of black pepper. 

How to make Copycat Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Recipe

1. Brown ground beef in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat stirring to break up the beef. Drain if not using lean meat then add the onion, celery and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring several times. 
2. Reduce to medium heat and add the garlic and Italian seasoning; cook stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes. 
3. Next add the tomato sauce, tomatoes, broth, salt, pepper, and pasta and bring to a boil then simmer over medium-low heat, add the beans after about 7 minutes. Continue cooking until the pasta is cooked through, about 5-8 more minutes.

*Recipe note: The pasta in this dish absorbs the liquid very quickly. If you aren’t eating it in one sitting and want the leftovers to be soupy you will need to cook and store the pasta separately. Reheat the soup mixture and only add pasta to each serving after it is mostly warm. To keep the cooked pasta from sticking together you can toss it in a little olive oil before storing it in the refrigerator. 

Substitutions and additions

• Can’t find ditalini? Use small elbow, small shells, or even orzo pasta.
• I have seen versions of Olive Garden’s pasta e fagioli that use chicken broth instead of beef broth so you could use whichever you prefer. 
• Swap the ground beef for ground turkey or ground sausage. 
• Light red beans can be used.
• If you can’t find cannellini beans you can certainly use great northern beans.
• The juice in the beans can be added to the soup, it will add a significant amount of sodium.
• Add a diced green or red bell pepper for additional flavor. 
• Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat.
• Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 
• Garnish with fresh parsley. 

Make this pasta fagioli recipe vegan

Leave out the ground beef and use vegetable broth and this will be vegan. 

Storage and reheating

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. See recipe note* above about storing the soup and pasta separately. 

Did Olive Garden discontinue pasta fagioli?

Pasta e Fagioli is still on the menu at Olive Garden. I had it last time I was there for lunch when I ordered unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks. I could also order it online the day of this writing. 

Does Olive Garden pasta fagioli contain meat?

Olive Garden’s version does contain meat, while some versions of pasta e fagioli are vegetarian, the restaurant version does have ground beef in it. 

What’s the difference between minestrone and pasta fagioli?

Minestrone soup is vegan and does not contain any meat or meat broth. It is made of fresh vegetables in a light vegetable broth. Traditional pasta e fagioli, also known as pasta fagioli or pasta fazool, has pasta and beans as the main ingredients but can also have meat or meat broth in it.