Hearty and Flavorful Pasta Fagioli Recipe
Hey friends! I am so glad that you are here today! I am sharing one of my most favorite hearty soup recipes! My hearty pasta fagioli recipe. Its been a while since I have made this since I am on a low FODMAP diet which restricts beans, onions and garlic, which are the best parts of this soup! I cant wait until I can cook it up again! Its seriously one of my most favorite. This recipe makes a rather large batch, enough to feed 6-8 maybe even more! I love making extra so that we can have some left over, it is always better the next day.
This is one of my favorite soups from The Olive Garden. Years ago I came across a recipe that was a “healthy’ version and I knew I wanted to try it and add my spin on it.This recipe was inspired from a similar one I had used for years in a healthy cook book, but I changed it up to reflect what I like. I like a bit more beans and with the carrots, meat and pasta, there are tons of amazing textures that make this soup so fun to eat. This is my take, using lean meat (either ground beef or ground turkey), and since I am gluten free I will use a gluten-free noodle.
This is a very easy dinner to make. Basically, you chop your yellow onion, celery and carrots and set aside. Brown the ground beef on medium-high heat in a large soup pot. Add the onions carrots, celery, and minced garlic cloves and let it all sautee on medium low for about 10 minutes or until the carrots begin to soften.
Next you will add the rest of the ingredients including the cannellini beans(or great northern beans) and kidney beans, low sodium chicken broth (you can also use vegetable broth), tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes and all the herbs(basil, thyme leaves, oregano salt and black pepper). Cook soup for about 30 minutes or until the carrots are soft and tender. At this point you can blend a portion of the beans to thicken the soup but I find it does not need it and I like the beans more whole.
Last you want to add the pasta and the vinegar. I have done the pasta two different ways. You can either cook it separate until they are al dente and then add to the soup, or you can add the dry pasta to the soup and let it cook. It will soak up some of the liquid so make sure to add another cup chicken broth if you need to. You want nice tender pasta but not overcooked. This soup will be more like a stew like in its consistency, but not too thick at the same time. At this time, you can also add fresh spinach if you want more veggies in your meal.
Before serving, I add the vinegar and cook it for another minute or two. The vinegar is what gives it a bit of zip and you really need it in the soup. Let the soup cook for about 2 more minutes to cook off the vinegar.
Want more great soup recipes?
My Flavorful Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Easy Potato Cheese Soup Recipe Your Family Will Love
The Tastiest Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
Tortilla Soup Recipe for the Crock Pot, Stove Top, or InstaPot!
PASTA FAGIOLI SOUP RECIPE
Hearty Pasta Fagioli
This healthy and hearty pasta fagioli recipe is so amazingly simple and easy to make and tastes amazing! Its flavor is unmatched and you can feel good about your diet choices with this meal. I love making a big pot and having left overs for my meals for a couple days. its an easy way to meal plan.
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey
- 4-6 oz ditalini pasta
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 tsp minced garlic
- 3 sticks celery diced
- 4 med carrots diced
- 2 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 14 oz can kidney beans
- 1 can great norther white beans
- 2 small cans tomato sauce
- 3 cup chicken stock
- 4 tsp white vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Topping
- grated parmesan cheese
- chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
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Brown the beff in a large pot(I like to use my cast iron enamel dutch oven)
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Drain the fat and add the onion, celery, garlic, and carrots. Let is sautee for about 10 minutes
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Add all the remaining ingredients except the pasta and the vinegar and let it cook for about 30 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
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You can either choose to add the pasta dry into the soup to cook next, but keep in mind that the pasta will soak up some of the liquid so you may need to add a bit more stock.
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You can also cook the pasta separate until it is al dente and then add it to the soup. I have done it both ways and it has come out great. It is more convenient and less pots to clean if you add the pasta directly to the soup.
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At the end, add the white vinegar and cook for another minute and then turn off.
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The vinegar will add that zip that pasta fagioli is known for.
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This soup is so flavorful and it is a great healthy option as well. I always feel satisfied when I eat this, and never feel like Ive been on a diet.
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I like to top mine with fresh or grated parmesan cheese and its perfect with my homemade french bread as well!
Ladle soup into a nice bowl and settle in for an amazing dinner. This pasta fagioli is amazing when served with some fresh homemade french bread or with some crusty bread! The rich tomato flavor, the veggies, meat, beans and pasta…its all a wonderful combination for a good meal.
I seriously love this soup. For a while my kids knew we would get this once a week! Hopefully soon I will be able to add beans and onions back into my diet! This is the ultimate of comfort foods and pairs perfectly with parmesan cheese, and is even better as leftover soup the next day! I literally could eat this for every meal.
The ditalini pasta (small pasta shapes) is perfect in this soup. The amount of pasta is really up to you, but I try to limit it a bit since I want this to be a bit more on the healthy side. Everything is similar in size and with so many different textures its a party in your mouth! Yes, I just said that. It is so flavorful and makes amazing lunch the next day!
This is a pasta fagioli recipe is perfect for anytime of year. We find that we cook soups more often in the fall and winter. If you choose you can use dry beans to make this instead of canned beans. Canned beans are a bit more convenient and that is why I use them, even though I do have bags of dried ones too haha. Its the ultimate comfort food.
Store pasta e fagioli in an airtight container in the fridge. It makes amazing lunch the next day! So, go ahead and make this tonight! You will be so happy that you did!
Want more amazing soup recipes? Check these out:
My Flavorful Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Easy Potato Cheese Soup Recipe Your Family Will Love
The Tastiest Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
Tortilla Soup Recipe for the Crock Pot, Stove Top, or InstaPot!
The Olive Garden’s version was always my daughter’s fave–making a copy for her and me! I love soup season. We have a lot of mystery soup here–a can of “storebot” fleshed out with all kinds of leftovers!!! I cool mine off with a small ice cube of pesto (Al doesn’t like it) if I want mine to be more Italian!