Pasta e Fagioli (which means pasta & beans in Italian) is a hearty & easy soup recipe full of beans, ground beef, a little bit of pasta and a lot of flavor! This Olive Garden copycat is a great dinner recipe for any night of the week!
I’m a changed woman. As I’m typing this, I’m watching a FOOTBALL game on TV. Not even kidding. Who is this person I’ve turned into?!
I even watched a recorded football game last night with my husband instead of going out to dinner or seeing a movie. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that I have four boys that all play football and that I was a cheerleader in high school, so therefore it’s not strange for me to be watching football games.
Well, you’re right and you’re wrong. Yes all my boys play football and yes I was a cheerleader BUT I didn’t understand or care for the game until recently! My husband used to tease me after I told him that I only had to understand what offense and defense were in order to know what cheer to call. He was shocked that nobody ever made us learn the game of football in order to cheer on our high school team. Ha!
He got tired of me asking the same questions about football. What does this mean, or what does that mean. So I started paying closer attention. And you know what? I kind of really love football now! It makes sense to me. Although there still are things I don’t understand, I enjoy watching it more.
I also enjoy eating a yummy, comforting dinner while watching a good game of football. Soups are the best way to incorporate everything a healthy meal needs. Protein and vegetables in a flavorful broth. You’re fulfilling the best of the food pyramid in one bowl of soup! (This sneaky mom likes to add extra veggies into soups so my kids will be tricked into eating more vegetables!)
Have you ever ordered Pasta e Fagioli at Olive Garden? It’s one of my favorite soups they serve. So yummy! This Pasta e Fagioli recipe is a Copycat Olive Garden version I’ve made for years from a family cookbook. It’s a hearty & easy soup recipe full of beans, ground beef, a little bit of pasta and a lot of yummy Italian flavor.
It’s just like the one at the restaurant but much cheaper and healthier, since you know exactly what ingredients are going into it. Your family will love this soup! It’s easy to prepare and has such a robust flavor. It satisfies that fall comfort food craving for sure!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 3 carrots sliced
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes
- 1 15-oz can red kidney beans, undrained
- 1 15-oz can great northern beans, undrained
- 2 15-oz cans tomato sauce
- 1 Tbsp. white vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 lb. small macaroni or ditalini pasta
Instructions
- Soften onion in olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat until browned. Drain off any fat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Sauté for about 10 minutes on medium heat.
- Add the remaining ingredients except the pasta and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and sauce has thickened a bit.
- Cook pasta in a separate pot as directed on package, until al dente. Drain and add to the pot of soup. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
This looks so good Jen! I’m going to make this, this week! Thanks for the idea and post! Miss ya girlie!
One of my favorite soup recipes. I have tried it with ground turkey and shredded chicken. It was great both times. So easy to make.
I’m so happy you liked it!! Thank you so much for the nice comment!!