Pasta e Fagioli Soup {Better than Olive Garden’s}
Pasta e Fagioli Soup is one of my favorite soups! It’s on heavy rotation at my house (especially during those colder months) because we all love it so much! It has incredible flavor and it’s jam packed with goodness making it a soup that’s fit to be the main dish.
Pasta e Fagioli Soup {Better than Olive Garden’s}
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bean soup
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 540 kcal
Author: Jaclyn

Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil , divided
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
  • 1 cup diced carrots (about 2 medium)
  • 1 cup diced celery (about 3 stalks)
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced (1 Tbsp)
  • 3 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
  • 2 (14.5 oz) cans low sodium chicken broth or beef broth
  • 1/2 cup water , then more as desired
  • 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
  • 2 tsp granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 3/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 scant cup dry ditalini pasta
  • 1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15 oz) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • Finely shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese , for serving
  • 3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
Instructions
  1. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat, crumble in ground beef or sausage and cook, stirring occasionally until cooked through. 
  2. Drain fat from beef then transfer beef to a plate, set aside. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil in same pot. 
  3. Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute over medium-high heat until tender about 6 minutes, add garlic and saute 1 minute longer. 
  4. Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, water, canned tomatoes, sugar, basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram and cooked beef then season with salt and pepper to taste. 
  5. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low, cover with lid and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft, about 15 - 20 minutes. 
  6. Meanwhile prepare ditalani pasta according to directions on package, cooking to al dente.
  7. Add cooked and drained pasta to soup* along with kidney beans and great northern beans. Thin with a little more broth or water if desired. 
  8. Allow to cook 1 minute longer. Stir in parsley, serve warm with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.
*If you don't plan on eating all of the soup right away I recommend adding the pasta to individual servings. Otherwise pasta gets soggy and absorbs too much broth.
Recipe Source: Cooking Classy