If you’ve ever sat down at Olive Garden and wished you could just have that pasta fagioli at home in your pajamas, I get it. Their soups are the whole reason most of us go there. Well, that and the breadsticks.
I discovered this recipe a few years back when my mom was trying to recreate her favorite Olive Garden soup at home. She got pretty close on the first try and I’ve been tweaking it ever since.
It’s one of those bean soup recipes that fills up your whole kitchen with the smell of Italian sausage and tomatoes and herbs. My kids will actually come downstairs and ask what’s cooking, which almost never happens unless it’s pizza night.
The flavors in this Italian soup are rich and layered but you don’t have to be a chef to pull it off. Ground beef and sausage give it that meaty depth. Kidney beans and cannellini beans make it thick. And the ditalini pasta soaks up all that seasoned broth.
This is one of the best slow cooker recipes I’ve made because you really can just set it and walk away. I love making it on Sundays when we’re all home and want something warm at dinner time. It’s a copycat Olive Garden soup that tastes nearly identical to the original.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Pasta fagioli is one of the most popular Olive Garden soup options. We love this one and zuppa Toscana the most.
- Loaded with protein: Ground beef, Italian sausage, two types of beans. Protein for dasys.
- A fave for slow cooker recipes: All you gotta do is brown your meat, then the rest of it goes in the crock pot. Cook all day and come home to a delicious bean soup.
- Budget-friendly and feeds a crowd: You can stretch this to feed a big family without spending much at all.
- Tastes even better the next day: Leftovers are the best because the flavors get even deeper overnight.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
You’ve got lots of options to make some substitutions with this copycat Italian soup.
- Ground beef: Lean ground beef works best so you don’t end up with a greasy broth. Ground turkey is a lighter swap if you want it. We’ve done it with both, and it’s great.
- Italian sausage: Mild or hot, your call. If you want more kick, go with the hot variety. Turkey sausage works fine too.
- Ditalini pasta: This is the go-to shape for pasta fagioli but macaroni, orzo, or tubettini all work. Any small pasta shape is fair game.
- Beef broth: Chicken broth is a solid substitute if that’s what you’ve got. The flavor shifts a little but it’s still good.
- Parmesan: If you’ve got the rind or heel of your parmesan block, toss that in while it cooks. That’s how they do it in Italy and it adds a deep, savory flavor you can’t get otherwise.
Tips for Success
A couple things that’ll make sure your copycat Olive Garden soup turns out just right.
- Drain the meat well: Greasy broth will ruin the whole pot. Take the extra minute to drain after browning.
- Don’t add the pasta too early: Pasta keeps absorbing liquid as it sits. If you put it in at the start, you’ll end up with mush instead of soup.
- Use block parmesan and shred it yourself: The pre-shredded stuff has coatings on it that keep it from melting right.
- Taste before serving: The salt level can vary depending on your broth, so check the seasoning at the end and adjust.
Storage and Reheating
Keep your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The pasta will soak up some broth overnight, so it’ll be thicker the next day. That’s normal.
Warm it back up in a pot on the stove over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Splash in a little extra broth or water to thin it out if needed. Microwave works too if you’re in a rush.
You can freeze this bean soup for up to 2 months. Just know the pasta texture changes a bit after freezing. If you’re planning to freeze it, leave the pasta out and cook it fresh when you reheat. Thaw overnight in the fridge before warming up on the stove.
Serving Suggestions
At Olive Garden they’d bring this out with breadsticks, so go that route if you want. Garlic bread, crusty focaccia, or a thick slice of ciabatta are all solid picks too. Or go country with some cornbread because why not.
Serve your Olive Garden soup hot in big bowls or even oversized mugs. A simple side salad with Italian dressing rounds it out if you want something green on the table.
Notes
My grandmother used to make a version of bean soup every Friday during the winter. Hers was simpler, just beans and broth with whatever vegetables she had left in the fridge. This recipe reminds me a lot of those cold Friday nights at her kitchen table.
I’ve been making this copycat version for about four years now and it’s one of our regular rotation meals. My husband actually requests it, which is saying something because he’s not usually a soup person.
Italian Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Lean ground beef
- ½ lb. Spicy or sweet Italian sausage casing removed
- 1 tbsp. Olive oil
- 1 cup Carrots julienned or finely diced
- 1 cup Celery chopped
- 1 cup Yellow onion finely diced
- 3 Cloves garlic minced
- 2 cans 14.5 oz. each Diced tomatoes, with their juices
- 1 can 15 oz. Tomato sauce
- 1 can 15 oz. Dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can 15 oz. Cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
- 4 cups Low-sodium beef broth
- 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp. Dried Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. Smoked paprika
- 1 cup Uncooked ditalini pasta
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drop in the ground beef and Italian sausage, cooking for 5 to 6 minutes while continuously breaking the meat apart into fine crumbles with a firm spoon until thoroughly browned and no pink remains.
- Tilt the pan slightly to drain away any heavy excess grease, then stir in the minced garlic and cook for exactly 60 seconds until fragrant. Transfer the hot meat mixture directly into the ceramic basin of your slow cooker.
- Add the finely diced carrots, celery, yellow onion, diced tomatoes with their juices, tomato sauce, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, dried Italian seasoning, and smoked paprika into the slow cooker bowl with the beef. Stir firmly to distribute the seasonings evenly throughout the liquid baseline.
- Clamp a tight-fitting lid securely over the top and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours (or on High for 3 to 4 hours).
- Exactly 30 minutes before the slow cooker timer finishes, lift the lid and stir the rinsed and drained dark red kidney beans and cannellini beans straight into the bubbling soup, allowing them to warm through completely without breaking apart.
- While the beans warm, bring a separate medium pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil on your stovetop. Drop in the 1 cup of uncooked ditalini pasta and cook according to the package directions until it reaches a perfect al dente chew. Drain the pasta completely and set it aside.
- Turn off the slow cooker heat source. Discard any surface oils if desired, adjust with additional salt and black pepper to taste, and stir the cooked ditalini pasta directly into the soup matrix right before spooning into deep bowls. Serve hot with a dusting of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and crusty bread.
