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Slow cooker Pasta e Fagioli soup is a rich and hearty Italian soup loaded with pasta, vegetables, beans, and lean ground beef. It’s hearty, comforting, and oh so delicious!
Italy knows just the way to my heart! If you love a good Italian soup, try this creamy Zuppa Toscana, this chicken gnocchi, or this classic Italian wedding soup.
A Reader’s Review
This is a great simple recipe for a tasty, filling meal! My husband also really enjoyed it… Going to be a regular at our house. Thanks for this winner!!!
Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli
Today I am sharing one of my favorite soups: Pasta e Fagioli. This is comfort food at its finest! It’s a super hearty, meaty, thick Italian soup loaded with veggies, meat, and beans. But that’s not even the best part! The best of all is that this soup is made in a slow cooker. That means little to no prep time and lots of flavors. This soup simmers low and slow for 8 hours! Let the slow cooker do all the work while you relax and enjoy the aroma in your home.
While your soup is cooking all day, then you have some time to make a few sides to go with it. I love adding a side salad and some breadsticks to dip into this soup. You can also make those recipes ahead of time! Then, when the soup is finished, all you have to do is get it all out, set the table, and dig in! It’s a great meal that your entire family will enjoy.
Ingredients You Need to Make Pasta e Fagioli
This is a thick, rich and hearty soup that is loved by all. So many ingredients but so much flavor in all of them! You will love the combination of vegetables, beans, and pasta. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.
- Extra virgin olive oil: This adds a hint of seasoning and liquid in the mix.
- Ground beef: When I buy ground beef I try and get it as lean as possible.
- Carrots: The should be freshly peeled and sliced. Canned carrots are little too mushy when simmering them for a long period of time.
- Celery stalks: Slice and dice them to your preference.
- Onion: I like to dice these up a little smaller for kids.
- Crushed tomatoes: Canned tomatoes are best. Some cans are flavored which adds more flavor so get the kind that you prefer.
- Beef broth: This liquid base adds in a delicious flavor.
- Bay leaves: This brings in a strong taste that is so familiar in soups.
- Oregano: The oregano brings more aromatic seasoning to the soup.
- Dried basil: Dried basil has a slight pepper taste but is perfectly strong and sweet.
- Dried thyme: Thyme is a subtle flavor but it is enough for this soup.
- Salt and pepper: Add this to taste (I added 1 tsp salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper)
- Cannelloni beans and red kidney beans: Make sure that these have been drained and rinsed before adding
- Ditalini pasta: This uncooked pasta will be added in at the end.
How to Make Pasta e Fagioli
This soup takes just a bit of prep time and is super easy to throw together. Serve it with a hot, fresh perfect soft, buttery roll for a great dinner meal!
- Brown the ground beef: Add olive oil to a large skillet and add in ground beef. Cook until browned and no longer pink.
- Combine all ingredients: Place the beef in a slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients except for the beans and pasta.
- Cook on low: Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. 30 minutes before serving stir in beans and pasta.
- Season: Season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaves before serving.
- Serve: Serve immediately while hot.
Is Pasta e Fagioli a Main Dish or a Side Dish?
This is a common question, and there is no correct answer! This dish is filling enough and has your meats and veggies all in one so you can definitely serve it as a main dish! Add in a Caprese salad and some breadsticks and it can be a meal. Or, you can serve it as an appetizer to the main course! Either way, it’s going to fill you up!
What’s the Difference Between Minestrone Soup and Pasta e Fagioli?
These two soups are often confused with one another! They are both delicious but here are the differences between the two:
- Consistency: The main difference between minestrone soup and pasta e fagioli soup is the meat and the thickness. Minestrone leaves our ground beef and has a thinner consistency.
- Vegetables: They each have vegetables but pasta e fagioli has a few more and a different variety.
How to Store Leftovers
This soup makes fantastic leftovers! It tastes just as good, if not better, the next day!
- In the Refrigerator: Place the soup in an airtight container and put it in your fridge. It will last 3-4 days.
- To Reheat: When you are ready to eat it again then put the soup in a medium sized pot and cook it on medium-high heat on your stove. It will take 5-10 minutes until it’s heated through.
More Italian Recipes to Try
As I said before, Italy really knows the way to my heart! All of the delicious seasonings, soups and pasta are SOO GOOD. It’s hard to pick a favorite! It you are looking for some more delicious tried and true recipes then you will love these that I have rounded up. Serve them family style and it will feel as if you are in Italy! Enjoy!
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Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup
Equipment
- Crock-Pot
- Cuisinart Stainless Steel Chopper
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 whole carrots diced
- 4 celery stalks diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 (28 ounce can) crushed tomatoes
- 2 (14.5 ounce can) beef broth
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 whole bay leaves
- salt and pepper to taste I added 1 tsp salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 (15 ounce can) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 ounce can) red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup ditalini pasta uncooked
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a large skillet and add in ground beef. Cook until browned and no longer pink.
- Place the beef in a slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients except for the beans and pasta.
- Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. 30 minutes before serving stir in beans and pasta.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaves before serving.
- Serve immediately while hot.
Video
Notes
Original Post on October 23, 2015
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My family came from Bari, Italy. PASTA E FAGIOLE, simply translated , PASTA AND BEANS. Grandma made this a lot. Great northern beans, ditalini, onion, celery, chopped bacon, salt and pepper. That was the recipe she brought from home in Italy. I don’t know where the recipe came from with beef in it.
The beef is added to make it more hearty. This is a variation of olive garden.
This was yummy!!!! I doubled the meat and the broth to make it more like soup and less like chili, will for sure make this again!!! 🙂
I have make this soup a couple times and my husband LOVE IT!!! I do too….the only thing that I don’t make it in the slow cooker I make it in the regular pot (stove top) is ready in about an hour and comes out really good.
i know olive garden has a soup called pasta fagiole similar to this and it looks yummy no doubt…but true pasta fagiole is just that..pasta and beans in a tomato based broth…this is more like minestrone…still good just not the traditional recipe 🙂 and i should know.my nonna made it all the time…there are variations but ours was meatless and basic peasant food 🙂
My Nonna made pasta fagiole they way your Nonna made it. This is interesting but I make a faster easier soup called 7-can soup. 1 lb ground beef crumbled and browned, drain. Add to large pot with 2 undrained can Minestrone Soup (I like Progresso), 2 cans pinto beans (I use Ranch Style Beans), 2 cans Stewed Tomatoes and 1 Can Rotel Original. Heat together and season with salt and pepper to taste… Yummy and fast!!!
I have looked for a recipe for Pasta e Fagioli Soup for quite some time. I have tried several recipes. This one is by far the best. We thoroughly enjoyed it. The only change that I made was substituting spicy Italian sausage for the ground beef. Yum.
Yes, Italian sausage is a must, and garlic. I hate kidney beans, so I would just add two cans of cannolinni beans.
try pinto beans
We thought this soup was very yummy. I’m not sure I know enough about what Fagioli soup should taste like to compare to a true Fagioli, but as a soup it was delicious! My husband made several comments about making it again, which means he really like it. I will add an extra can of beef broth next time to make it soupier, or at least keep one on hand to add to the leftovers. The pasta soaks up a lot of the broth. All in all tasty and I’m making it again.
If I read this right, you add the cup of pasta and cook on “high” for 30 minutes. Or, you can add the pasta and cook on “low” for 30 minutes. Right?
I would think pasta addition 30 minutes on HI or 60 minutes on LO. Just my $0.02
Walter, the pasta only needs 30 min to cook at the end of the time even at low temp. Most pasta takes 20 min in boiling water for al dente. Longer than 30 min (at low or hi temp) would make it absorb more liquid & be mushy.
I make pasta separate and add to each bowl as served. Much better and pasta is al dente and not mushy.
Mine turned into more of a stew rather than a soup. I won’t be using this recipe again…
Has anyone made this with ground turkey or ground chicken instead of beef?
I think it would still work great!
I made it with ground turkey and used quinoa instead of pasta. It needed a lot more seasonings than stated. Garlic would have been a good add, as mentioned previously
There is clearly an omission of garlic. This soup is very bland and, after looking at other recipes for this dish, I realized the garlic was missing!
I added garlic too!
Yes I added quite a bit of minced garlic. Cooking it now for the first time. I’m sure it will be good.
This recipe looks delicious. and I can’t wait to try it.
I made this soup the other night and it came out more like a chili than a soup. I cooked on high for 4 hours instead of low for 8. What did I do wrong and what can I do to make it soupier?
Other things I did differently is that I prepared the ground beef a few nights in advance and refrigerated it until I was ready to make the soup. Also had chopped the veggies in advance and refrigerated, too. I threw all ingredients in the slow cooker as directed – adding the pasta and beans at about 3 1/2 hours into the cooking time.
exactly! this is not authentic pasta fagioli soup!!
You have that right….Italians do not put meat in Pasta e Fagioli
Yes…this is more like a chilli. I would add another 14oz of broth if you wanted it like a soup.
I hope that Mc Cormick recipes will come in my e-mail. I was looking for the slow cooker Thigh chicken and trio veggies recipe but can’t find it… Can you send it to me? Thank you so much.
What size crock pot does this fit in?
5 or 6 quart. 🙂
Hi, 2 cans of beef broth are enough?
We put an extra can of broth in to make it more like soup, less like stew.
Exactly, more broth needed. Also I used half Italian sausage and 1/2 ground beef. Also added garlic. Pretty darn good soup with these additions.
i would too, sounds excellent, going to make this next weekend and with crushed red pepper for a zing..
I use 2 large 32oz containers. 2 cans was not enough for me, doesn’t make enough soup.
This is my favorite soup at Olive Garden, but I’ve never tried making it. Thanks for sharing! I’ll give it a try. 🙂