Olive Garden is known not only for its bottomless soups and salads and endless breadsticks, but also for its tasty pasta dishes. However, going to the restaurant isn’t always convenient or practical unless you happen to live nearby.
Fortunately there are other ways to enjoy their mouthwatering fare, including this copycat version of one of their most in-demand pasta delights, pasta fagioli.
The word “fagioli” means “beans” and this is a bean-rich pasta dish. You also have beef and Italian sausage to make it meaty, carrots, celery, onion, tomatoes, pasta, parmesan, and more, for a full-flavored result. It’s easy to prepare. After browning the meat, you simply add most of the ingredients to the crockpot (the beans and pasta go in later) and let it slow cook to delicious perfection.
If you have the “heel” or rind of the parmesan, throw that in too. That’s how they make this soup in Italy and it adds a fabulous flavor.
Why You’ll Love the Recipe:
If this is one of your favorite options at Olive Garden, you’re going to love this copycat version. It’s hearty, meaty, and loaded with pasta, veggies, cheese, and beans. This soup is so easy to make and you can use up any kind of veggies and beans in there and enjoy a slightly different outcome every time.
How to Serve It:
The soup would come with breadsticks in Olive Garden, so you might like to have some of those, or you might prefer some crusty focaccia, ciabatta or another type of bread. Serve this copycat Olive Garden bean soup hot in bowl or big mugs.
Ingredients:
- Beef broth
- Lean ground beef
- Bay leaves
- Italian sausage
- Red kidney beans
- Olive oil
- Cannellini beans
- Carrots
- Ditalini pasta uncooked
- Onion
- Italian seasoning
- Tomatoes
- Shredded parmesan for garnish
- Celery
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to make Olive Garden Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli:
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Saute the ground beef and sausage in the skillet until browned completely. Drain the excess fat.
Transfer the meat to a slow cooker with all of the remaining ingredients except the beans, parmesan and pasta.
Cook on high for 3 ½ hours.
Add the beans and pasta and cook for another 30 minutes on high.
Serve garnished with parmesan cheese if desired.
Pasta fagioli is incredibly simple to make and this copycat version tastes exactly like what you’d hope to get at Olive Garden. So, save yourself a trip to the restaurant and make this impressive homemade version instead. The whole family is going to love it.
Olive Garden Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli
Ingredients
- 3 Cans of beef broth
- ½ lb. Lean ground beef
- 2 Bay leaves
- ½ lb. Italian sausage
- 1 Can Red kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 1 Can of Cannellini beans rinsed and drained
- 2 Carrots peeled and diced
- 1 C. Ditalini pasta uncooked
- 1 Onion chopped
- 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
- 28 oz. Can of crushed tomatoes
- Shredded parmesan for garnish
- 4 Stalks of celery chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
- Saute the ground beef and sausage in the skillet until browned completely. Drain the excess fat.
- Transfer the meat to a slow cooker with all of the remaining ingredients except the beans, parmesan and pasta.
- Cook on high for 3 ½ hours.
- Add the beans and pasta and cook for another 30 minutes on high.
- Serve garnished with parmesan cheese if desired.
Can You Make It Ahead?
Yes, you can make it in advance and then just warm it back up to serve.
Storage Instructions:
Leftovers will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Warm it back up in a pan on the stove for about 5 minutes.
Variations and Substitutions:
Ditalini pasta is the typical choice for pasta fagioli, but you can use any small-size pasta shapes you prefer, such as macaroni, orzo, tubettini, conchigliette, and so on. You can also use different vegetables or substitute chicken broth for the beef broth.
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