Pasta e Fagioli Soup {Olive Garden Copycat}
A hearty veggie and protein loaded Pasta e Fagioli soup, loaded with kidney and cannellini beans, fresh herbs, and lots of carrots and celery. This soup is a copycat version of Olive Gardens and it is to die for! I made mine with simple ingredients and it takes just 30 minutes from start to finish to make this soup!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup packed ditalini pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef or italian sausage casing removed (see note)
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 carrots peeled and slices into 1/4 inch thick circles
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 15-ounce cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained + rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini or great northern beans, drained + rinsed
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the ditalini pasta according to the package directions. Keep the pasta al-dente for this recipe. Drain and set aside.
- In a large dutch oven, heat the tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, and celery, continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
- Stir while adding in the chicken broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring the stockpot to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer covered for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the pasta, beans and basil, let heat through. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Vegan 'crumbles' can be used in place of the meat if you'd like to make this recipe vegan friendly. Also, replace the chicken broth with vegetable stock.
- If you don't plan on serving the soup immediately, don't add the basil and the pasta. Reheat or warm the soup, add basil and pasta just before serving.
