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Olive Garden Copycat Pasta e Fagioli Instant Pot tastes even better than the restaurant version. It's a delicious & healthy freezer friendly Instant Pot soup filled with beans, pasta, tomatoes, Italian sausage and amazing seasoning. You can make it under 30 minutes! Don't miss the tips & recipe video.
Don't miss our collection of Instant pot recipes!
Note: This post has been updated with reheating directions!
Pasta Fagioli Instant Pot
Todays Instant Pot Pasta Fagioli is not the authentic Italian version which is a thin soup containing only beans, pasta and no veggies or meat. That's what you get back in Italy!
However, todays recipe is the copycat version of what you get in the American restaurant Olive Garden - it contains meat, two kinds of beans, veggies, lots of tomato & an amazing seasoning. You'll enjoy this economical, hearty & scrumptious soup throughout the year. A great freezer friendly soup to feed a large family.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Find the Ingredients with actual measurements at the bottom of the post. The list below is just a reference.
- Sausage: Italian Pork sausage mild or spicy works best for todays recipe. You can also use 1:1 ground beef and Italian sausage. We made it with Mild ground Pork Italian sausage.
- Beans: Kidney beans and great Northern Beans are two protein packed legumes that makes a hefty Pasta e Fagioli soup. If you do not like Kidney beans much you can also sub it with garbanzo beans. We used canned beans.
- Veggies: Celery & carrot.
- Aromatics: Onion & garlic.
- Pasta: Small bite size pasta like Ditalini works best for Pasta e Fagioli.
- Tomatoes: Canned diced tomatoes (with basil, oregano & garlic), tomato sauce and tomato paste. You can also use regular canned diced tomatoes.
- Chicken Stock: I used better than bouillon cubes dissolved in hot water. For a more complex and deep flavor you can also sub the chicken stock with beef stock.
- Seasoning: Paprika, Oregano, Italian Seasoning, black pepper powder, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire Sauce.
- Olive Oil.
- Garnish: Chopped fresh parsley, crushed black pepper, extra virgin olive oil and parmesan cheese. I skipped the parmesan cheese.
Pro Tip: Vegetarians skip the sausage from the recipe and make a vegetarian Pasta e Fagioli Soup for a hearty meal.
Tips for success
- Brown the Sausage: Browning the meat will add tons of great flavor to the soup. You can either discard the extra fat or use it.
- Beans: Canned beans drained and rinsed is what will make the recipe proceed fast. Use dark kidney beans and great Northern Beans for an outstanding protein and flavor boost. You can also use garbanzo beans in place of kidney or white beans.
- Seasoning: A great blend of seasoning is what make the Pasta e Fagioli Soup taste even better than Olive Garden's soup. Use all the ingredients, you can however, skip the red pepper flakes if you are heat intolerant.
- Pasta e Fagioli consistency: You can control the consistency of the soup by slightly increasing of decreasing the amount of stock. Todays recipe has a medium consistency.
- Freeze the soup: If you want to freeze the Pasta Fagioli soup do skip the pasta and add some cooked pasta while re-heating the soup. The pasts absorbs a lot of liquid and inflates and turns mushy when allowed to sit for a long time in the soup.
- Serve it fast: For best soup texture & flavor serve the soup immediately because the pasta turns mushy in the pasta pretty fast.
Method
Find the detailed step by step recipe along with measurements + Video at the bottom of the post.
Step #1 Brown the Sausage
Set the Instant Pot on SAUTE function and keep it on HIGH heat setting. Add olive oil and saute the ground pork Italian sausage until nicely browned.
You may discard the excess fat or use it to make the soup. The sausage I used did not release a lot of excess fat.
Step #2 Saute Aromatics & veggies
Once the sausage is nicely browned add the chopped onion & garlic & saute for about 1 minute. Than, add the carrot & the celery and saute for another minute.
Pour in the stock and de-glaze the pot very well scraping the sides and the bottom of the pot with the help of a spatula. There should not be any food particles stuck at the bottom of the pot. This will help prevent the BURN error.
Add all the seasonings and give everything a quick stir.
Step #3 Pressure Cook Pasta e Fagioli
Now, add the rest of the ingredients like the tomatoes, pasta and the beans. Give eveything in the pot a quick stir. Cancel the SAUTE function and PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for just 4 minutes followed by a quick pressure release.
Open the lid carefully, stir the Pasta e Fagioli soup, check for seasoning, add more salt and crushed black pepper if you feel like adding.
You can also control the consistency of the soup at this point, add more stock if you prefer a thinner soup.
Step #4 Garnish & serve
Serve the Instant Pot Pasta Fagioli immediately otherwise, the pasta will absorb a lot of liquid and turn mushy the longer it sits in the soup.
Garnish the soup with grated parmesan cheese, crushed black pepper, chopped fresh parsley and drizzles of extra virgin olive oil. Dig in 😀
What goes with Pasta Fagioli?
Serve Pasta e Fagioli with the following:
- Cheesy Garlic Bread.
- Bread Sticks.
- A light crisp salad.
- Lightly toasted sour dough bread.
- Regular crusty bread.
Storing Tips
Fridge: You can store this copycat Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli soup for up to 3 days in the fridge. Use air tight containers and follow the reheating tips shared below.
Freezer: Yes, you can freeze Pasta e Fagioli for upto 3 months. Leave out the pasta, use air tight freezer safe containers and leave enough space between the lid and the soup because soups expands when frozen.
Add some cooked pasta later while re-heating the thawed soup. If you freeze the Instant Pot Pasta e Fagioli along with the pasta in it than the pasta will completely turn mushy.
How to reheat
Microwave Oven: You can reheat this easy pasta e fagioli soup in the microwave oven until warm or hot.
Stove top: You can also reheat this soup in a heavy bottomed saucepan on the stove top over medium heat. Stir frequently to prevent the soup from burning.
FAQs
You can keep pasta from over cooking in soup by not cooking the pasta in the soup. Cook the pasta separately and keep the pasta and the soup separate. Mix the pasta while serving the soup.
Small Macaroni pasta, small shell pasta are similar to ditalini.
The difference between Minestrone and Pasta e Fagioli is that Minestrone contains a lot of vegetables while an authentic Italian Pasta e Fagioli is only beans and pasta cooked in a light thin tomato broth. Todays recipe contains a few veggies but not a lot like Minestrone.
More Instant pot soup recipes you'll love
- Lemon chicken orzo soup instant pot.
- Alaskan salmon chowder
- Tom Kha Gai Soup Instant Pot.
- Instant pot creamy chicken noodle soup.
- Instant pot chicken wild rice soup.
- Chili's chicken enchilada soup instant pot.
- Chicken gnocchi soup instant pot.
- Instant pot stuffed pepper soup with sausage.
- Creamy chicken tortilla soup instant pot.
- Instant pot chicken corn chowder.
- Unstuffed cabbage roll soup instant pot.
- New England clam chowder instant pot.
- Instant pot Olive Garden zuppa toscana copycat.
- Instant pot cheesy potato soup.
- Creamy chicken tortellini soup.
- Herbed white bean and sausage stew.
- Lamb stew recipe instant pot.
Recommended
Readers thoughts who tried the recipe
This is fantastic! I have made a lot of recipes in the IP that were either so so or disappointing. There are only a handful of recipes that I like. However this recipe was by far the best I have made in the IP. Pasta Fagioli soup is not my favorite soup, but after making this recipe, I think it might be my favorite.
- Laraine Wallace.
Made it tonight. The family loved it. Big hit. "
- Steve Puttre.
I just made this last week...it was absolutely amazing."
- Angie Gantt.
Made this last night here in cold Ohio ..... DELICIOUS."
- Ashley White.
This is the best recipe ever. I’ve made this about three times in two weeks.
- S.V. Kim.
I LOVE HEARING FROM YOU! If you try this Best Pasta e Fagioli Soup recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I would love to hear how it turned out for you, or any changes you make. You can also follow me on Pinterest or subscribe our free NEWLETTER for new recipes every week!
Olive Garden Copycat Pasta e Fagioli Instant Pot
Print Recipe Pin RateWatch Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian Ground Pork Sausage (**Use mild or spicy. You can use 1:1 ground beef : Sausage. 16 oz/454 g.)
- 15 oz Great Northern Beans (**Drained & rinsed. 439 g / 1 can.)
- 15 oz Kidney Beans (**Drained & rinsed. 439 g / 1 can.)
- 14 oz Diced Tomatoes (**with juices. I used Diced tomatoes with basil, oregano & garlic. 1 can / 411 g.)
- 8 oz tomato sauce (**226 g / 1 can.)
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste (**diluted in about 4 tbsp water.)
- 1 cup onion (**roughly chopped. Use yellow or white onion.)
- 1.5 tbsp garlic (**minced)
- ¾ cup carrot (**roughly cubed)
- ¾ cup celery (**roughly chopped. About 2 sticks.)
- 1 cup Ditalini Pasta (**you can use small elbow or shell pasta. Use ¾ cups in that case.)
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- Salt (to taste) (**use according to taste.)
Seasonings
- 1 tsp Paprika
- ¼ tsp oregano (**dried from the bottle.)
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning (**dried from the bottle.)
- 1.5 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (**skip if heat intolerant. Use 1.5 tsp if you love spicy food.)
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Liquid
- 6 cups chicken stock (**Use 7-7.5 cups for thinner soup. I used 4 better than bouillon cubes diluted in hot water.)
Garnish
- Parsley (**fresh flat leaf parsley chopped, use handful.)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (**drizzle the soup.)
- Parmesan Cheese (**grated. I did not use any)
- Ground Black Pepper
Equipment Used
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot on SAUTE & set it on HIGH heat. Add oil. When the oil becomes hot gently release the ground meat and saute the meat until nicely browned. Stir frequently with a spatula.
- Once, the meat is well browned add the chopped onion & garlic and saute for about a minute.
- Now, throw in the chopped carrots and celery and give everything a good stir. Saute for another minute.
- Pour Stock. De-glaze the pot very well scraping the sides & the bottom of the pot with the help of a spatula. This will loosen any stuck food particles and prevent the BURN error.
- Next, add all the seasonings like paprika, oregano, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes & salt. Give eveything in the pot a good stir.
- Add the tomatoes (diced, paste & sauce), canned beans (rinsed and drained), pasta. Give everything in the pot a good mix.
- CANCEL the SAUTE function. Close the lid of the Instant Pot. Seal the Valve and PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for just 4 minutes. The pressure will take some time to build because it's a large quantity soup.
- Once, the Pressure cooking cycle is over the Instant Pot will begin to beep. Immediately perform a quick pressure release (QPR) by manually moving the valve from the SEALING to the VENTING position. Open the lid carefully.
- The amazing wholesome Instant Pot Pasta e Fagioli is ready. You need to serve the soup almost immediately because the longer the pasta sits in the soup the more it get's over cooked & turn mushy.
- Garnish with some chopped fresh parsley, crushed black pepper, grated parmesan and drizzles of extra virgin olive oil. Dig in!
Notes
- IMPORTANT: Serve the soup immediately as the Pasta tends to absorb a lot of liquid, get over cooked and turn mushy the longer it sits in the soup.
- Ground meat: We chose Ground Italian Mild pork sausage. You an also use ground beef and pork sausage in the 1:1 ratio. You can also make the soup with only ground beef.
- Best Pasta: We vote for Ditalini. However, you can use small elbow or shell pasta. In that case use no more than ¾ cups. ½ cup or ¾ cups would be a good choice for todays soup.
- How to store the soup in the fridge? If you plan to store it in fridge I would skip cooking the pasta in the soup. Because the pasta will absorb a lot of liquid the longer it sits in the soup & turn mushy! Cook the pasta separately & mix in the soup bowl while serving only if you plan to store the soup in the fridge.
- Storing Tips: For storing or freezing the Pasta e Fagioli soup I would recommend that you leave out the Pasta and add some cooked pasta later to the soup while re-heating it. The pasta will completely mush up if you freeze or store the soup along with it. The soup will also become drier as the pasta continues absorbing liquid.
- Seasonings: Play around with the bunch of seasonings and add more or add less according to your liking.
- Basil: You can add some dried basil in the soup especially if you add regular canned diced tomatoes. I skipped adding basil because the canned diced tomatoes had basil.
- Extra flavor: I would highly recommend using canned diced tomatoes with basil, oregano & garlic. It would almost instantly face lift the soup. Avoid using regular canned diced tomatoes. You can sub the chicken stock with beef stock.
- The Pasta e Fagioli consistency: Todays soup has a medium consistency, it's not super thin nor very thick. If you prefer thinner soups add 7 or 7.5 cups stock.
- Heat intolerant: Skip the red pepper flakes.
- Hate Kidney Beans? Sun them with a can of garbanzo beans. We love these creamy, nutty beans so much. Yum!
DC says
This is my go to recipe for Instant Pot pasta fagioli. I have made this several times - the only change I made was using ground beef instead of sausage. This is so delicious and spot on copy cat Olive Garden.
Foodies Terminal says
Hey Diane so glad you loved this OG's copycat fagioli soup so much. Thanks a lot for the wonderful feedback, appreciate it. - Meghna.
Elizabeth Reitinger says
Hi do you know the serving size? I am so happy you have the nutritional information but do not know the serving size. Thank you!
Foodies Terminal says
Hey Elizabeth the nutritional info is per serving size. Let me know if you have any questions regarding the recipe. Thanks so much for stopping by. - Meghna.
Alicia says
My family keeps requesting this now, I literally cannot make enough, the 8 qt pot is too "small" lol.
As I do with all soups, I cook and keep the pasta separate (and refrigerate in a ziplock bag) so it doesn't soak up the broth. Extra plus to this: some of the fam likes more, some like less, so they can put the amount they prefer! Also, my daughter always overheats her soup (so she doesnt have cold spots, she always forgets to stir it, lol), but she likes to use the pasta cold to cool it down right away. Lifechanger, lol.
Foodies Terminal says
So glad your family enjoys this fagioli soup recipe so much 🙂 The pasta tip is great. Thanks so much Alicia for sharing your wonderful feedback with us, appreciate it 🙂 - Meghna.
Carla Fox says
I don’t have an Instapot, so I used a crockpot. just added pasta about 10 minutes before serving. I also reduced the red pepper flakes to 1/4 tsp. and only used 1 1/2 Tbsp. of oil. With the sausage I thought there was enough fat. It was absolutely delicious! I will be making it again.
Foodies Terminal says
So glad you enjoyed the flavors of this recipe Carla 🙂 Thanks so much for the amazing feedback, appreciate it. - Meghna.
Katelyn says
Honestly this is my first comment on here and I had this app for YEARSSS I just had to say how much I love this!! So yummy I made this twice this week but all in all I made this about 80 times so so so good!!!
Foodies Terminal says
Hey Katelyn thanks so much for the wonderful feedback, totally appreciate it 🙂 So glad you love this recipe so very much 🙂 Hope you try our other recipes and love each one of them - Meghna.
KB says
Dang. This is the best recipe for quick, easy, delicious, Instant pot Fagioli. Perfection. Has a little kick of spice, a robust broth, a hearty comfort food! I use impossible lite beef and impossible spicy sausage. Love it.
Foodies Terminal says
Hey KB so glad you love this recipe so much 🙂 Thanks a lot for sharing your amazing feedback, appreciate it 🙂 - Meghna.
Linda says
I've made this twice, and it is so good. I'm thinking of making it again. My question, have you made this with dried beans? I use just under a cup of the pasta, and it never comes out mushy or soaks up all the broth when in the fridge. Since I'm single and this is so good I have no problem eating this every day til its gone. Thank you!
Foodies Terminal says
Hey Linda
My apologies for the super late reply.
No, I have not tried this recipe with dried beans yet. I wish I could help....
Let me know if you have any other questions regarding this recipe 🙂 Thanks so much. - Meghna.
Linda says
I made this last night. Made as written, no changes. Delish!
Foodies Terminal says
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Linda. Thanks much for the amazing feedback, appreciate it. - Meghna.
Sara mayer says
Really good. I threw some chopped spinach in at the end!
Foodies Terminal says
So glad you loved the recipe Sara 🙂 Thanks much for the wonderful feedback, appreciate it 🙂 Hope you'll try our other recipes from the blog and enjoy each one of them 🙂 - Meghna xoxo.
Sheila says
Curious. Instructions do not say when to add in the tomato sauce or the paste . Assume it doesn't really matter? I ended up adding them in at the end and soup was delicious.
Foodies Terminal says
It's mentioned in step #6 under the instructions on the recipe card. Let me know if you have any other questions regarding this recipe. Thank you. - Meghna.
Bubbe says
Made this for dinner tonight. It is so delicious and quick. I added more veggies than called for. I wanted it a bit more hearty. We have enough leftovers for another night. I will be making this again. Thank you so much ❣️
Foodies Terminal says
So glad you loved the recipe Bubbe 🙂 Thanks much for the wonderful feedback, appreciate it 🙂 Hope you'll try our other recipes from the blog and enjoy each one of them 🙂 - Meghna xoxo.
Rob says
This was really good.
I cooked the pasta separately, put it into the individual bowls, and stirred in the soup. I also kept the pasta and soup left overs separate so the pasta doesn't get mushy.
Foodies Terminal says
So glad you guys enjoyed the recipe 🙂 Thanks much for the amazing feedback, appreciate it 🙂 - Meghna xoxo
Rebekah says
Just made it today. My husband and I love it! Thanks for sharing!
Foodies Terminal says
So glad you guys enjoyed the recipe 🙂 thanks much for the amazing feedback, appreciate it 🙂 - Meghna xoxo
Ruth Knox says
This recipe is a work of art! The flavors are spectacular, the soup is a meal, and oh so satisfying. It is easy and quick to make, but tastes like you worked in the kitchen all day long. A hearty bowl is so tasty it leaves you craving for more. Everyone loved it! This is going to be a regular rotation for our house, and a special treat I would not hesitate to serve to guests.
Foodies Terminal says
Hey Ruth So glad you loved the recipe so very much 🙂 thanks a million for the amazing feedback 🙂 Take care Ruth! - Meghna xoxo
Mel says
Amazing flavours!
Super easy.
I opted for no pasta, as it makes too much for us to finish in one sitting and didn’t want mushy pasta.
Thanks for this recipe, it’s a keeper!
Foodies Terminal says
Hey Mel! So glad to know that you loved the recipe so much 🙂 Yes, this soup makes a lot enough to feed an army...Lol! Thanks so much for the amazing feedback! Have a wonderful week ahead Mel and keep coming back to our web kitchen for weekly deliciousness 🙂 - Meghna. xoxo
Foodies Terminal says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Mel! Thanks so much for the amazing feedback 🙂 - Meghna. xoxo
Sandy says
Excellent flavor, I used hot chicken sausage and cooked noodles separately. For my taste, I would use half the amount of pepper next time. Super easy and quick. Oh I also added some chopped up zucchini.
Foodies Terminal says
Awesome Sandy! So glad that you enjoyed the recipe and made it your own. Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback, appreciate it 🙂 Hope you'll try other recipes from this blog as well. - Meghna.
Monica says
Made this tonight and it was fantastic! Thank you for the recipe. I actually made it stove top in a dutch oven. So easy and so good, can't wait for the leftovers tomorrow.
Tori says
Could I make this in a crock pot instead? Or on the stove possibly? ( I have no instant pot)
Foodies Terminal says
Yes, you certainly can Tori. Just make sure to cook the soup over medium or medium low heat and covered. Add cooked and drained pasta at the end and serve immediately. You will love it! Thanks so much for stopping by, happy cooking 🙂 - Meghna. XOXO
Nhi says
I made this tonight and OMG!!!, it was delicious. I added a couple of jalepeños to it for an extra kick. When I told my husband I was making this soup and told him what was in it, he wasn't too eager to try it. But after I made and we sat down to eat, he said that this was the best soup that I have made. Thank you so much for the recipe. This will go into our rotation. 🙂
Foodies Terminal says
So glad that you and your husband enjoyed the soup so much 🙂 Thanks a bunch for sharing such a wonderful feedback and for giving the recipe a try. Hope you try our other recipes as well. Take care Nhi 🙂 - Meghna. XOXO
Georgia Anderson says
This soup is very easy to make and absolutely delicious. My family LOVES IT. Tastes even more delicious as leftovers. Thank you so very much for sharing this amazing recipe.
Foodies Terminal says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Georgia 🙂 Thanks a lot for the wonderful feedback, totally appreciate it 🙂 - Meghna xoxo
Debra Weber says
The text box with the instructions does not include WHEN to add the tomato sauce or the paste.
Foodies Terminal says
Hello Debra add them where it says add "tomatoes". I will update the recipe card to clarify that part, thanks for pointing that out 🙂 Hope you enjoy the soup. - Meghna. xoxo
Sheila says
I too was wondering when to add the tomato paste. Came to read the comments looking for the answer. Doesn't appear to be updated.
Foodies Terminal says
I updated the recipe Sheila. Please find the tomatoes mentioned in step #6 under the instructions section. Happy cooking! Thanks. - Meghna.
Rachel says
Very easy soup! Family loved it!
Foodies Terminal says
Hey Rachel thanks a bunch for sharing your amazing feedback 🙂 So glad that your family enjoyed the soup 🙂 Hope you'll like our other recipes as well! Take care Rachel. - Meghna. XOXO