Olive Garden slow cooker pasta fagioli is a crockpot copycat of the restaurant’s hearty soup: browned lean ground beef, onion, carrots, celery, kidney and white beans simmered all day in beef broth with diced tomatoes, tomato-basil marinara and oregano, then finished with pasta cooked on the side. It serves 6 big bowls.
How to make pasta fagioli in a crockpot: Brown the beef to 160°F, drain it and add it to a 6- to 7-quart slow cooker with the chopped vegetables, tomatoes, both beans, broth, marinara and seasonings. Cook on LOW for 5 to 7 hours. Boil the pasta separately near the end, stir it in, and serve with parsley and Parmesan.
Why You’ll Love It
- Restaurant favorite at home: beefy, tomatoey and full of beans and pasta.
- Slow cooker easy: brown the beef and let it simmer all day.
- Hearty and filling: a soup that eats like a meal.
- Big batch: 6 bowls, with leftovers for lunch.
How to Make Pasta Fazool Like Olive Garden
“Pasta fazool” is the Italian-American nickname for pasta e fagioli, pasta and beans. The restaurant-style version is a thick, tomato-based beef soup with two kinds of beans and small pasta. The keys to getting that flavor at home: brown the beef well, use a good jarred tomato-basil marinara for body, combine beef broth with diced tomatoes, and season with oregano. Cooking the pasta separately keeps it from turning mushy and soaking up all the broth.
Ingredient Notes
Ground beef: 1 pound extra lean, browned and drained.
Vegetables: 1 cup each of chopped onion and carrots and 1/2 cup chopped celery, finely chopped so they melt into the soup.
Tomatoes: one 14- to 16-ounce can of diced tomatoes with juice and one 24- to 26-ounce jar of tomato-basil marinara.
Beans: one can each of kidney beans and white beans, rinsed and drained.
Broth and seasoning: 4 cups beef broth, 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano, salt, pepper and optional hot pepper sauce.
Pasta: 1 1/4 cups of dry small pasta such as ditalini, shells or fusilli, cooked separately.
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Ingredients
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef, browned and drained
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1 can diced tomatoes (14-16 oz), with juice
- 1 can kidney beans (14-15 oz), rinsed and drained
- 1 can white beans (14-15 oz), rinsed and drained
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 jar tomato-basil marinara sauce (24-26 oz)
- 1 1/2 tsp oregano
- 3/4 tsp hot pepper sauce (optional)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/4 cups dry pasta (fusilli, shells or ditalini), cooked separately
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)
- Grated Parmesan (optional, for garnish)
How to Make Olive Garden Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli
1. Brown the beef. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook the ground beef until browned and 160°F, then drain excess fat and transfer to a 6-7 quart slow cooker. Finely chop the onion, carrots, and celery, and add them to the slow cooker.
2. Add everything else. Add the diced tomatoes with juice, kidney beans, white beans, beef broth, and marinara sauce to the slow cooker. Stir in oregano, hot pepper sauce (if using), salt, and black pepper. Mix well.
3. Slow cook. Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, or until the vegetables are tender.
4. Cook the pasta. About 15-20 minutes before the soup is finished, cook the dry pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
5. Finish and serve. Stir the cooked pasta into the soup. Adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or hot sauce as needed. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped parsley and grated Parmesan if desired. Serve hot.
Common Mistakes in Pasta Fagioli
- Cooking the pasta in the soup all day. It turns mushy and soaks up the broth. Cook it separately.
- Not draining the beef. Extra fat floats on top of the soup.
- Big vegetable chunks. Chop them small so they cook through and blend into every spoonful.
- Not rinsing the beans. The canning liquid makes the soup starchy and salty.
- Salting too early. Broth and marinara are salty; taste at the end.
Variations
- Italian sausage: use it instead of ground beef for more flavor.
- Stovetop: simmer everything in a large pot until the vegetables are tender.
- Vegetarian: skip the beef and use vegetable broth.
- Spinach: stir in a few handfuls at the end to wilt.
- Thicker soup: mash some of the white beans against the side of the pot.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Store the pasta separately if you can, since it keeps absorbing broth. Reheat gently until hot, to 165°F, adding a little broth if it’s thick. The soup without pasta freezes well.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with breadsticks, crusty bread or garlic bread and a green salad, just like the restaurant.
More hearty soups: best ever beef and barley soup, slow cooker steak soup, slow cooker Amish tomato noodle soup and quick and easy taco soup. For more Italian comfort food, make Italian meat sauce or slow cooker Amish ground beef noodle casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make pasta fagioli in a crockpot?
Brown the beef, add it to the slow cooker with vegetables, beans, tomatoes, broth and marinara, cook on LOW, then stir in pasta cooked separately.
What are the common mistakes in pasta fagioli?
Cooking the pasta in the soup all day, not draining the beef and not rinsing the beans.
Can I make Olive Garden pasta e fagioli in a crockpot?
Yes. This copycat is made for the slow cooker.
What pasta is best?
Small shapes: ditalini, small shells or fusilli.
How long do leftovers keep?
3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Final Notes
Brown and drain the beef, chop the vegetables small and cook the pasta separately. If you try it with Italian sausage or add spinach, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
Olive Garden Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli: Comfort in Every Spoonful
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Ingredients
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef browned and drained
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14-16 oz, with juice
- 1 can kidney beans 14-15 oz, rinsed and drained
- 1 can white beans 14-15 oz, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 jar tomato-basil marinara sauce 24-26 oz
- 1 1/2 tsp oregano
- 3/4 tsp hot pepper sauce optional
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/4 cups dry pasta fusilli, shells, or ditalini, cooked separately
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley optional
- grated Parmesan optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook the ground beef until browned and 160°F, then drain excess fat and transfer to a 6-7 quart slow cooker. Finely chop the onion, carrots, and celery, and add them to the slow cooker.
- Add the diced tomatoes with juice, kidney beans, white beans, beef broth, and marinara sauce to the slow cooker. Stir in oregano, hot pepper sauce (if using), salt, and black pepper. Mix well.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, or until the vegetables are tender.
- About 15-20 minutes before the soup is finished, cook the dry pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Stir the cooked pasta into the soup. Adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or hot sauce as needed. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped parsley and grated Parmesan if desired. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
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Nutrition values are estimates based on the listed ingredients and serving count. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion sizes.
