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Pasta e Fagioli Soup comes together in about 30 minutes with browned ground beef, cannellini beans, carrots, celery, and ditalini pasta in a rich tomato broth. It’s thick and hearty enough to serve as a full meal with crusty bread, or as a starter before a larger Italian dinner.
Pasta e Fagioli Soup is ready in about 30 minutes and combines browned ground beef, cannellini beans, carrots, celery, and ditalini pasta in a rich tomato broth seasoned with basil, oregano, and thyme. You’ll brown the beef, sauté the vegetables, simmer everything in broth with the beans and herbs, then stir in the cooked pasta right before serving. The result is a thick, hearty soup with tender beans and a light, savory broth, similar to Olive Garden’s version but with fresher vegetables and no shortcuts. This is the soup I make on busy weeknights when my family needs something filling on the table fast, and it reheats well enough for lunches all week if you handle the pasta the right way (more on that below). If you like soups try my Easy Gnocchi Soup, Potato Leek Soup, Vegetable Barley Soup or this Chicken Tortellini Soup.
Why This Works
• Browning the beef first and draining the fat keeps the broth clean instead of greasy on top.
• Cooking the pasta separately and adding it at the end stops the noodles from turning mushy and soaking up all the liquid, which is what makes leftovers of this soup disappointing if you skip it.
• Sautéing the vegetables before the broth goes in builds a deeper base flavor instead of boiling everything together at once.
Recipe Ingredients
These simple pantry staples are all you need. See the recipe card below for exact amounts and printable instructions.
- Ground beef: Standard for this recipe, but ground turkey, Italian sausage, or a plant-based crumble all work well.
- Cannellini beans: Mild and creamy. Great northern beans, red kidney beans, or garbanzo beans are all traditional swaps.
- Ditalini pasta: Small tube pasta is classic here. Small shells or elbow macaroni work in a pinch. For a gluten-free version, use your favorite gluten-free small pasta and check it a minute or two early, since it can go soft faster.
- Carrots, celery, onion, garlic: The aromatic base. Don’t skip the sauté step here, it’s where most of the flavor starts.
- Vegetable or chicken broth: Either works. Chicken broth gives a slightly richer flavor.
- Diced tomatoes: Adds acidity and body to balance the richness of the beef and beans.
- Spices: Dried basil, oregano, thyme, crushed red pepper: The classic Italian herb backbone. Fresh herbs can be substituted at roughly triple the amount.
- Parsley, green onions, parmesan cheese: For garnish. Don’t skip the parmesan, it ties the whole bowl together.
Ingredient Substitutions and Swaps
- Meat: Swap in Italian sausage for a spicier profile, ground turkey for a lighter version, or skip the meat entirely and add an extra can of beans for a vegetarian version. I also really like adding pancetta.
- Beans: Great northern beans, red kidney beans, or garbanzo beans all work in place of cannellini beans.
- Pasta: Small shells, elbows, or a gluten-free small pasta shape all work as substitutes for ditalini.
- Spice: Spice it up by adding crushred red pepper flakes or cayenne red pepper.
- Broth: Chicken broth adds richness, vegetable broth keeps it lighter. Both are traditional for this soup.
- Greens: Add greens like kale or spinach.
How to Make Pasta e Fagioli Soup
Step 1: Cook Pasta: Cook the ditalini pasta in a separate pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
Step 2: Cook Beef: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain off the excess fat and set the beef aside.
Step 3: Saute Vegetables: Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot. Stir in the garlic, onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 4: Add Remaining Ingredients: Stir in the broth, diced tomatoes, cannellini beans, bay leaf, basil, oregano, thyme, crushed red pepper, and the cooked beef. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If using a parmesan rind, add it now.
Step 5: Simmer: Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and parmesan rind before serving.
Step 6: Add Pasta: Stir in the cooked pasta until heated through.
Step 7: Garnish: Garnish with fresh parsley, sliced green onions, and grated parmesan. Serve immediately with crusty bread.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Adding the pasta too early. It keeps absorbing liquid even after the pot is off the heat, and turns the soup into more of a stew by the next day.
- Skipping the fat drain after browning the beef. This leaves a greasy film on top of the finished broth.
- Undersalting early and forgetting to taste again. Broth reduces slightly as it simmers, so always taste and adjust salt at the end, not the beginning.
- Overcooking the vegetables before the broth goes in. Carrots and celery should be crisp-tender at this stage since they keep cooking through the simmer.
- Not storing pasta separately from the broth. This is the single most common complaint with this soup, and it’s completely avoidable.
Make It Ahead and Storage
This soup is meal-prep friendly, but only if you handle the pasta correctly.
- If you’re making it ahead or expecting leftovers, cook the pasta separately and store it apart from the soup. Add pasta to each bowl only when you’re ready to eat.
- Refrigerator: Store the soup (without pasta) in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Store cooked pasta separately for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze the soup base (without pasta) for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. Cook fresh pasta when you’re ready to serve, since pasta doesn’t freeze and thaw well.
- Reheating: Warm the soup on the stovetop over medium heat until hot, then stir in the pasta at the very end.
What to Serve with Pasta e Fagioli Soup
This soup is filling enough to serve as a full meal on its own, but a few simple sides round it out nicely.
- Crusty bread. A warm baguette or Italian loaf is the classic pairing here. It’s perfect for soaking up the broth once the beans and pasta are gone.
- A simple side salad. Something light and acidic, like a basic lemon arugula salad or mixed greens salad with a lemon vinaigrette, balances the richness of the beef and beans.
- Garlic bread or cheesy toast. If you want to lean into the Italian comfort food angle, garlic bread or a slice of toast with melted mozzarella turns this into a heartier dinner.
- A starter course. Serve smaller portions of this soup before a larger Italian meal, like a roasted chicken or a pasta dish like Baked Ziti with Ricotta (Creamy & Classic), the same way it’s traditionally served in Italy.
More Soup Recipeds
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Pasta e Fagioli Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup ditalini pasta
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil, {divided}
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 6 cups vegetable broth, {you can also use chicken broth}
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup green onions, for garnish
- Parmesan cheese, grated, for garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add ground beef to the skillet and cook until browned, about 5 minutes, drain excess fat and set aside.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot and stir in garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 to 4minutes.
- Stir in vegetable broth, diced tomatoes,cannellini beans, bay leaf, basil, oregano, thyme, crushed red pepper, ground beef and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add a parmesan rind (optional). Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 12-15 minutes.
- Stir in pasta until heated through.
- Remove the Parmesan rind.
- Garnish with the fresh parsley, green onions and grated parmesan cheese. Serve immediately with crusty bread.
Notes
- If you plan to have leftovers, don’t add the pasta to the pot. Cook it separately and store it apart from the soup, then add it to each bowl right before serving. Otherwise the pasta keeps absorbing broth and turns soft, even in the fridge.
- For a richer broth, add a parmesan rind while the soup simmers in step 5, then remove it before serving. It adds extra depth and a slightly creamier texture without any added dairy.
- The soup will thicken as it sits, especially with the beans in it. If it’s thicker than you’d like when reheating, stir in a splash of broth or water until it loosens back up.
- This recipe is easy to swap: ground turkey or Italian sausage both work in place of ground beef, and great northern or red kidney beans both work in place of cannellini beans.
- Store the soup (without pasta) in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Cook fresh pasta when you’re ready to serve rather than freezing it with the soup.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
One of our favorite winter soups! Easy to make
while i’m pregnant and the thought of having any sort of soup isn’t quite appealing at the moment with the heat we’ve been having, I feel like this is one for the books this fall! The fresh colours and flavours of this look amazing!
Yes! Save this for the fall. It is the perfect comfort food on a crisp, cool day. One of our favorites for sure!
Pasta e fagioli is one of my most fave soups in the colder months. I love making a huge pot and eating it for lunch during the week with some good bread. YUM!
That is one reason I love this recipe–always gives me extra to eat during the week.