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Olive Garden Copycat Pasta E Fagioli Slow Cooker Soup Recipe

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★★★★★

4.8 from 120 reviews

This Olive Garden Copycat Pasta E Fagioli Slow Cooker Soup is a hearty and comforting Italian-inspired dish featuring ground beef, cannellini and kidney beans, diced vegetables, and ditalini pasta simmered in a savory tomato and beef broth base. Perfect for an easy weeknight meal, this soup combines robust flavors and tender pasta cooked to perfection in your slow cooker.

Ingredients

Scale

Meat

  • 1 pound ground beef

Beans

  • 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 oz can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Vegetables

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, cubed
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped

Pasta

  • 1 cup ditalini pasta

Liquids & Canned Goods

  • 32 oz beef broth
  • 28 oz crushed tomatoes

Herbs & Spices

  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1 tsp thyme

Instructions

  1. Brown the ground beef: In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until fully browned. Drain excess fat thoroughly to keep the soup from being greasy.
  2. Add beef to slow cooker: Transfer the browned ground beef into your slow cooker as the base protein for the soup.
  3. Add crushed tomatoes and seasonings: Pour in the crushed tomatoes followed by oregano, basil, thyme, and garlic to infuse the soup with rich Italian flavors.
  4. Add vegetables: Add the chopped onion, cubed carrots, and chopped celery to the slow cooker, providing depth and texture to the broth.
  5. Add beans: Drain and rinse the cannellini and kidney beans before adding them to the slow cooker for a hearty and fiber-rich addition.
  6. Pour in beef broth: Add the beef broth, which will create the flavorful base to the soup and help everything cook evenly.
  7. Add bay leaves: Place the bay leaves in the slow cooker to impart subtle aromatic flavor while cooking.
  8. Cook soup: Stir all ingredients gently to combine. Cover with the slow cooker lid and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours to meld flavors and cook the vegetables and beans through.
  9. Add pasta: Remove the lid and stir in the ditalini pasta. This step adds pasta without overcooking during the initial slow cook.
  10. Cook pasta: Cover again and continue cooking on high for an additional 30 minutes to tenderize the pasta perfectly in the hot broth.
  11. Serve and enjoy: Remove the bay leaves before serving. Ladle into bowls and enjoy your comforting, homemade Pasta E Fagioli soup.

Notes

  • Drain and rinse beans to reduce sodium and prevent the soup from being too thick or starchy.
  • Brown the beef well and drain fat to avoid greasy soup texture.
  • Adjust pasta cooking time depending on your slow cooker’s heat consistency to prevent mushy pasta.
  • For a vegetarian version, omit ground beef and substitute vegetable broth.
  • This soup reheats well and thickens as it sits; add extra broth or water when reheating if needed.

Keywords: Pasta E Fagioli, Olive Garden copycat, slow cooker soup, Italian soup, ground beef soup, bean soup, hearty slow cooker recipe

Find it online: https://trendytasterecipes.com/olive-garden-copycat-pasta-e-fagioli-slow-cooker-soup-recipe/