Discover a delicious and easy one-pot recipe for the classic Italian dish, pasta e fagioli. Perfect for a busy weeknight dinner with minimal clean-up required. It is a delectable Italian soup that combines Italian sausage, vegetables, and beans in a rich tomato base with a perfect blend of Italian herbs and spices.
I like to serve this dish with a bit of fresh grated Parmesan and triple cheese garlic bread or bacon jalapeno cheddar beer bread.
There is nothing better than a big hot pot of simmering soup. My family cooks and enjoys soup throughout the year, not just during the winter months. We love all the tasty flavors and heartiness in this soup recipe.
You may have tried this soup at Olive Garden. Well, this recipe is so much better. It is easy, dependable, delectable, and freezes well. If you like this Olive Garden classic, try chicken gnocchi soup, chicken alfredo, and Olive Garden salad.
What You’ll Need
- Olive oil: extra virgin
- Italian sausage: I prefer mild or sweet, but you can use hot
- Vegetables: sweet onion, carrots, celery, garlic, canned fire-roasted tomatoes
- Seasonings: dried oregano, marjoram basil, and thyme and onion powder, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves
- Chicken broth: low sodium
- Tomato sauce: canned and low sodium if it is available
- Beans: kidney beans and cannellini beans
- Tomato paste: you can freeze the rest of the can
- Pasta: ditalini or elbow macaroni
How to Make Pasta e Fagioli Soup
First, heat a little olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until it is about halfway browned. Then add the veggies and continue cooking until the sausage browns and the onions soften.
Now reduce the heat and stir in the garlic, oregano, marjoram, basil, thyme leaves, onion powder, and red pepper flakes, cooking for about 1 minute while stirring constantly.
Then, add the chicken broth, tomato sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, beans, and bay leaves. Next, simmer for about 10 minutes while stirring several times. Now remove about 2/3 cup of hot liquid and whisk it together in a separate bowl with the tomato pasta. Add it back to the pot and simmer for about 5 more minutes. Remove the bay leaves from the soup. Finally, add the pasta and simmer until tender.
Preparation Tips and Storage
- For aesthetic purposes, peel your carrots as they are such a beautiful bright orange color when peeled.
- Drain and rinse your beans to remove any excess salt and starch. This helps improve flavor.
- Any small pasta, including ditalini, elbow macaroni, or small shells, will work for this recipe.
- Do not overcook the pasta. Cook it al dente, which means slightly firm. The pasta will continue to cook even after the heat turns off.
- If you know you will save some soup for another day, remove that amount before adding the pasta. You can simmer the soup and add some pasta when you reheat it.
- Serve with 1-2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese on top.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. They can be reheated in the microwave at reduced power or on the stovetop on low.
Serving Suggestions
- Appetizer: fried mozzarella sticks, fried mushrooms, baked potato skins, toasted ravioli, or fried zucchini
- Bread: Dutch oven bread, garlic parmesan knots, warm bread sticks, or French baguettes with sweet cream butter.
- Salad: spinach salad with warm honey mustard dressing, wedge salad, arugula salad, or Italian chopped salad
More Soup Recipes
Pasta e Fagioli Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb Italian Sausage
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 14.5 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 15.5 ounce can red kidney beans
- 1 15.5 ounce can cannellini beans
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup Ditalini pasta or elbow macaroni
- kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese optional
Instructions
- First, heat a little olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until it is about halfway browned. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Continue cooking until the sausage is completely browned, and the onions are soft.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the garlic, oregano, marjoram, basil, thyme leaves, onion powder, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, kidney beans, cannellini beans, and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes stirring several times.
- Remove 2/3 cup of hot broth and whisk with tomato paste. Add it back to the soup and simmer for 5 minutes; stirring several times.
- Add the pasta and cook al dente; for approximately 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves from the soup. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. If desired, serve with 1-2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan Cheese per bowl.
Notes
- For aesthetic purposes, peel your carrots as they are such a beautiful bright orange color when peeled.
- Drain and rinse your beans to remove any excess salt and starch. This helps improve flavor.
- Any small pasta, including ditalini, elbow macaroni, or small shells, will work for this recipe.
- Do not overcook the pasta. Cook it al dente, which means slightly firm. The pasta will continue to cook even after the heat turns off.
- If you know you will save some soup for another day, remove that amount before adding the pasta. You can simmer the soup and add some pasta when you reheat it.
- Serve with 1-2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese on top.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. They can be reheated in the microwave at reduced power or on the stovetop on low.
Nutrition
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Tammy
What a comforting dish and perfect for a chilly day like it is here. I’d love a big bowl of this…sounds delicious!
Sue-Tanya
This Pasta e Fagioli recipe was delicious and easy to make! The combination of flavors and ingredients was spot on. Thanks for sharing this step-by-step guide on preparing this comforting dish. I really enjoyed it.
Rhian Scammell
This looks and sounds like it would be a perfect Autumn dish when it starts getting colder. Although I’m not a huge bean fan so I wonder how it would taste without them/ with an alternative
Beth Pierce
It would still be delicous. Enjoy!
Marie
This PASTA E FAGIOLI recipe was so yummy. I loved everything about it. It was supersatisfying to.
Yeah Lifestyle
This soup is so delicious! It is full of flavour, nutricious, and so easy to make. I love it!
Laura
This looks like a bowl of comfort!!! I love beans but my kids aren’t huge fans unfortunately.
Catie
This recipe is so much better than Olive Garden’s pasta e fagioli. Thanks for sharing! I will make it again.
Beth
This recipe is comfort food in a bowl! Just what these cold winter days need in around 1/2 hour this can be in my belly – perfect!!
Carrie
This is one of my favorites to order from Olive Garden! So easy and delcious! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Dannii
This was super comforting. I love how easy it was to adapt with the ingredients I had too.
Justine
This is one of our favorite soups! Full of awesome ingredients and tastes amazing.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Justine!
Sara
Enjoyed this for dinner last night and it was a savory success! Easy, hearty and packed with flavor; my whole family loved it!
Meg
I made this tonight, my boyfriend loved it!
Linda
Can this soup be frozen?
Beth Pierce
yes
Maria
I can just imagined how flavorful this is! This goes perfect with breadsticks. Thank you for sharing this fagioli recipe that is simple and easy to make.
Cynthia
The ultimate comfort dish! I love how budget friendly this is too. A big hit at our house.