Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli

Today, I'm sharing one of our favorite soup recipes. This Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli is filled with Italian flavor, is made with simple ingredients, and only 15 minutes of prep work.

There’s no need to leave home to enjoy a bowl of your favorite Olive Garden soup! With this copycat recipe, you can prepare a delicious Italian soup at home in your slow cooker.

Pasta e fagioli is a traditional Italian pasta soup, popular at Olive Garden. I always order it when I order soup and salad. I decided to make a homemade version so we could enjoy it anytime and save money. And it was a hit! Everyone loved it.

Ingredient Notes

See the printable recipe card below for all ingredients, specific measurements, and complete instructions.

• Italian Sausage - I used mild Italian sausage, but if you prefer spicy food, you can use hot sausage instead. Ground beef can also be used.
• Onion, Carrot, Celery - I like to finely chop the onion, celery, and carrot.
• Minced Garlic - I used jarred minced garlic to save time.
• Diced Tomatoes - You can use regular diced tomatoes or fire roasted for more flavor.
• Kidney Beans - I used dark red kidney beans.
• Cannellini Beans - Great northern beans will work as well.
• Beef Broth - The liquid base for the soup that adds depth of flavor.
• Italian Seasoning - A blend of dried herbs that enhances the overall flavor of the soup.
• Ditalini Pasta - Shaped like a small tube and is the pasta used for this soup at Olive Garden.

How To Make Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli

Start by browning the Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. While the sausage is cooking, stir in the chopped onion, minced garlic, chopped carrots, and chopped celery.

When the meat is cooked through, and the vegetables are tender, remove the pan from heat and transfer all the ingredients to the bowl of your slow cooker.

Add the diced tomatoes, beans, Italian seasoning, beef broth, and water. Stir the ingredients together until they’re well combined.

Place the lid on the slow cooker and set it to cook on low for 6 hours. In the last 30 minutes of cooking time, pour in the pasta. Stir to mix the noodles into the broth, then return the lid to the slow cooker. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes or so until the pasta is cooked through.

Recipe Tip: Ditalini pasta tends to soak up the liquid the longer it sits. So, if you plan on having leftovers, I would not cook the pasta in the slow cooker. I recommend boiling the pasta on the stove separately and adding it to your soup bowl before eating. Keep the pasta and the soup stored separately.

Pasta Fagioli Variations

• Use different pasta. The most popular pasta option for this soup recipe is ditalini, which is a very small tube pasta. But if you can’t find that type of noodles, you can also use elbow macaroni, bow ties, or cavatappi.
• Try different meat. Italian sausage adds tons of flavor to your soup, but there are a few other types of meat you can mix in. Try adding ground beef, ground pork, shredded chicken, or ground turkey in place of sausage.
• Leave the meat out. You can also create a vegetarian soup by making two simple substitutions – leave out the sausage and swap the beef broth for vegetable broth.
• Add more vegetables. Another simple way to change up this easy recipe is by adding a few more veggies to the mix. Try stirring in some zucchini, bell pepper, spinach, or kale.

Can I Make Pasta Fagioli on the Stovetop?

Yes, you can! Making this flavorful soup in your slow cooker is easy. But if you prefer to cook on the stovetop, you can easily adjust the recipe to prepare it on the stovetop.

Start by browning the sausage in the bottom of a large stockpot or Dutch oven with the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. When the meat is cooked through, drain the excess grease from the bottom of the pan.

Add all the remaining ingredients, except the pasta, to the pot with the sausage. Stir to mix, then cook over medium heat until the liquid begins to boil.

After that, reduce heat to low and allow the soup to simmer for around one hour, stirring occasionally. Then, stir in the pasta and continue cooking for 10 to 15 minutes, until the noodles are cooked through.

Storing and Reheating

To store leftovers, allow the soup to cool, then transfer to an airtight container. Keep the soup in the refrigerator for up to three days.

To reheat the soup, warm it in the microwave or a saucepan over medium heat.

Need more soup recipes? Here are a few more delicious soups to warm you up.

• Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup
• Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
• Broccoli Potato Cheese Soup
• Cheese Soup Recipe

This homemade Pasta Fagioli recipe is a hearty and delicious comfort food that everyone in the family will love. They will be coming back for seconds!