Slow Cooker Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
Everyone’s FAVORITE Olive Garden soup made so easily in the crockpot! Just set it and forget it!
Featured Comment
Guys, it’s snowing. No joke. It has been snowing two days straight in the midwest. And yes, Cartman has his winter beanie ready to go. That being said, you can find me by the fireplace, chunky sweaters and all, with this Olive Garden favorite.
reasons to make slow cooker olive garden pasta e fagioli
- Copycat recipe. Make everyone’s favorited Olive Garden soup right at home! It is incredibly customizable and forgiving, swapping out the Italian sausage for ground beef or adding more sneaked-in veggies for those picky eaters. Dare I say it tastes even better than the original?
- So quick, so easy. This is truly the best kind of dump-and-go, set-and-forget crockpot dinner. Extra bonus points if you have one of those saute features in your slow cooker, making this a one pot meal from start to finish. Throw everything into a slow cooker before heading to work, coming home to the coziest, hug-in-a-bowl soup, warming you from the inside out.
- Freezer-friendly. Pasta e fagioli freezes beautifully, making it perfect to have ready-made meals on hand – ideal for those super busy nights where there simply is no time (or energy) to cook, and delivery or takeout just isn’t an option.
what is pasta e fagioli?
Pasta e fagioli is a classic Italian soup literally translating to “pasta and beans”. This is typically made with vegetables, a variety of beans and pasta in a tomato broth.
minestrone soup vs. pasta e fagioli
Minestrone soup
Both soups include pasta and beans, but minestrone soup is made with an abundance of vegetables such as carrots, celery and greens.
Pasta e fagioli
Pasta e fagioli contains less vegetables than minestrone soup, focusing primarily on pasta and beans for a more thick, heartier soup.
how to make the easiest crockpot pasta e fagioli
- Brown and crumble the sausage
- Add all ingredients to the slow cooker
- Cook low and slow for 7-8 hours
- Add pasta during the last 30 minutes of cooking time
- Serve and top with shaved Parm
tips and tricks for success
- Use your favorite meat. Italian sausage (sweet or spicy), ground beef, chicken or turkey will all work very well here.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Use short cut pasta. Ditalini, macaroni or a small shape pasta similar in size to the vegetables and beans is ideal.
- Add leafy greens. Pasta e fagioli is a great way to sneak in some greens for those picky eaters. Stir in kale, spinach, cabbage, swiss chard or collard greens near the end of cooking time until wilted.
- Stir in more stock with leftovers. When reheating leftovers, stir in more stock as needed as the pasta will continue to soak up the broth. The pasta can also be cooked and stored separately.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
what to serve with slow cooker olive garden pasta e fagioli
- Glazed Carrots
- Italian Chopped Salad
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Easy Skillet Dinner Rolls
- Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
Slow Cooker Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli: Frequently Asked Questions
Sweet or spicy Italian sausage are both great options. Ground beef also works beautifully here.
No crockpot, no problem! You can try this recipe instead.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the pasta (or else they will get mushy) in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding freshly cooked pasta and a splash of stock (if needed) when serving.
Slow Cooker Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casing removed
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 (16-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, , drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¾ cup ditalini pasta
- ½ cup shaved Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add sausage and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is browned, about 5-7 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Place sausage mixture into a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir in chicken stock, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, oregano and thyme; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 5-6 hours. Uncover and stir in pasta; cover and cook on high heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until tender.
- Serve immediately with Parmesan, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Haven’t tried this, but wondering if you have advice on how to make, and then freeze? As we enter ski season, it looks like a great recipe to make in bulk, and then freeze.
Easy!
Make it.
Then freeze it.
Yes, you can freeze in plastic freezer bags (I like to lay them flat in the freezer to save on space), thaw in the fridge overnight, and reheat over low heat.
Thanks, I am just wondering if you would recommend not adding the pasta if you know you are freezing the recipe.
@Chungah I’m so curious if you prefer this slow cooker version or the quicker version you have here: https://trustedhealthinsider.today/2014/05/17/olive-garden-pasta-e-fagioli/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Thanks in advance!
I would suggest keeping the noodles separate if you plan to freeze, otherwise they will get mushy and soak up too much liquid.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I will definitely try to make this soup as colder weather is approaching.
However, I will make this soup in my Instant Pot as I don’t have a slow cooker. Not sure how the result will be.
I was just thinking of making this in the instapot! Let me know how it works out;)
Most, if not all instant pots, have a slow cooker feature. So, you should be able to saute right in the pot, remove excess fat, and the follow recipe directions with slow cooker feature. I would, however, add a little of the chicken stock after I drained excess fat and scrape that delicious fond from the bottom of the pot to incorporate it into the soup. Then just use instant pot as a slow cooker.
If you want to do it using pressure cooker features you can search a similar instant pot recipe as a guide for steps and times but still follow this recipe for ingredients. Hope that’s helpful.
Very nice recipe. We have to try. So easy, flavorful and delicious.