Easy copycat Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli soup recipe! The perfect blend of Italian Sausage and vegetables in a comfort soup.
Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Recipe
Olive Garden is one of my favorite restaurants to go to!! This Copycat Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup Recipe is perfect for a chilly winter evening.
I love pulling out this recipe when the weather in Spokane turns cold and snowy, which is the perfect time to curl up with a hot bowl of soup and stay inside. As much as we love eating out, I don't love dealing with winter roads.
This soup is perfect to pair up with Copy Cat Olive Garden Breadsticks, and you can't go wrong with Copy Cat Olive Garden Lemon Cake for dessert!
Ingredients
Here is a quick overview of the simple ingredients needed to make an epic Copycat Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli! The printable recipe card at the bottom of the post includes specific measurements and step-by-step instructions.
- Italian Sausage
- Olive Oil
- Celery Stalks
- Carrots
- Medium Yellow Onion
- Garlic
- Chicken Broth
- Water
- Tomato Sauce
- Diced Tomatoes
- Parsley
- Oregano
- Basil
- Thyme
- Black Pepper
- Red Pepper Flake
- Salt
- Ditalini Pasta
- Cannellini Beans (White Kidney Beans)
- Dark Red Kidney Beans
Garnish - Parmesan Cheese
Equipment Needed
- Dutch Oven/ Large Pot
- Hamburger Mix and Chop
How to Make CopyCat Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli
I've included complete instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here's a quick version.
- Brown the sausage
- Add the olive oil, celery, carrots, and onion. Cook until tender
- Add the garlic
- Add chicken broth, water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, parsley, oregano, basil, thyme, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt.
- Add pasta and cook
- Add additional chicken broth as necessary
- Add the cannellini and kidney beans
- Serve hot.
Total time may very a bit depending on your Dutch oven or pot.
Preparation and Storage
Make-Ahead: You may be surprised that our Copycat Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli is make-ahead-friendly! Leftovers will keep in your refrigerator for up to five days.
Storage: Portion your cooked leftover soup into airtight containers to keep it fresh.
Freezing/How to Freeze: Transfer any leftovers you want to freeze into an airtight, freezer-safe container or freezer bag, then enjoy them within three months.
How to Reheat: Thaw any leftover Pasta e Fagioli soup you want to serve overnight in the fridge or on your kitchen countertop until defrosted but still cold, then reheat using your microwave or stovetop.
Recipe Variations + Tips for the Best Copycat Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli
Substitutions: You can replace the Italian sausage with ground turkey or Italian turkey sausage if you don’t eat red meat or pork. We have also seen ground beef used.
Vegetarian Option + Vegan Option: Replace the Italian sausage and chicken stock with plant-based alternatives to make it vegetarian and vegan-safe. Bonus - the beans will still fill you up and add protein to your meal!
Gluten-Free: Replace the ditalini pasta with a gluten-free substitute. The remaining ingredients in this soup recipe are naturally gluten-free but check for gluten-free labels on each package if you are highly sensitive.
Smaller Serving Size + Larger Group/More Servings: The written recipe yields six servings. Scale it up or down based on your desired number of servings.
Make It Spicy: Use spicy Italian sausage to preserve the soup’s flavor and add some heat.
Sugar-Free: The written recipe contains 5 grams of sugar. Use sugar-free tomato sauce to make it sugar-free.
Printable recipe card instructions are below.
Nutritional information, including calories, protein, calcium, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin c, potassium, cholesterol, sodium, trans fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and more, will vary depending on the products used.
What to Serve with Copycat Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli Soup Recipe
Enjoy this hearty, bean-filled Olive Garden soup with breadsticks for a filling lunch, or pair it with our other copycat favorites from the Italian chain for a complete takeout dinner at home. Here are some menu planning suggestions.
Sides: Olive Garden Breadsticks, CrockPot Olive Garden Minestrone, CopyCat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup, CrockPot Zuppa Toscana Olive Garden Soup
We put together a big list of sides for soup.
Main Dishes: Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce, CopyCat Olive Garden Marinara Sauce
Desserts: CopyCat Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake
When to Serve
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Date Night
- Italian Night
- Winter comfort food
Great Copycat Recipes
Texas Roadhouse Loaded Sweet Potato
Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole
Check out all of the Olive Garden Recipes we have shared! I love the minestrone soup! Plus all of our crockpot soup recipes.
Do you love recipes? Check out our copy cat recipes, dessert recipes, and our Crock Pot Recipes.
Follow Tammilee Tips on MSN, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest for all our recipe posts.
Copy Cat Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lbs. Italian Sausage
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 Celery cleaned and ¼ inch dice
- 2 Carrots peeled and ¼ inch dice
- 1 Yellow Onion Medium, diced
- 4 Cloves Garlic minced
- 28 oz Chicken Broth
- 2 Cups Water
- 1 Tomato Sauce
- 14.5 oz Diced Tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Parsley
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Basil
- 1 teaspoon Thyme
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Red Pepper chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 8 oz. Ditalini pasta Uncooked
- 15.5 oz Cannelini Beans White Kidney Beans, drained not rinsed
- 15.5 oz Red Kidney Beans drained not rinsed
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven over medium heat brown the sausage, breaking it up into as small of pieces as you can. Drain and set aside.
- Return the Dutch oven to the heat. Add the Olive oil, Celery, Carrots and Onion. Cook until the onion starts to turn translucent, 4-5 minutes.
- Add the Garlic and cook another minute.
- Add 1 can Chicken Broth, Water, Tomato Sauce, Diced Tomatoes, Parsley, Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Black Pepper, Red Pepper Flake and salt bring to boil and reduce to a simmer.
- Add in the Pasta and cook until Al dente, 10-15 minutes.
- Add additional chicken broth as necessary to maintain desired liquid level.
- Add the Cannellini and Kidney beans and simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Kitchen Tools
- Dutch Oven
- Hamburger Mix and Chop
Nutrition
Recipe originally shared on January 8, 2015. Updated October 2020, September 2023
Leave a Reply