Copycat Pasta Fagioli Soup brings together ground beef, two kinds of beans and little tubes of ditalini in a tomato-rich broth. The carrots and celery give each spoonful a bit of sweetness and texture, while oregano and thyme keep the seasoning simple. It is a substantial soup, with enough beef, beans and pasta to make a bowl feel like dinner.
The most useful detail is the order of cooking. Let the vegetables soften and the tomato base simmer before adding the pasta. Ditalini needs much less time than the carrots, and putting everything in together can leave you with soft noodles and vegetables that still need another few minutes. A short simmer for the base, followed by the pasta, gives you control over both.
A few choices before you start
Ground beef and vegetables. Break the beef into small crumbles rather than leaving large pieces. They fit better on a spoon alongside the beans. Dice the onion, carrots and celery fairly small, especially the carrots. Uneven, chunky cuts take longer to soften and make it harder to judge when the soup is ready for pasta.
Beans and tomatoes. Kidney beans hold their shape, while cannellini beans add a softer, creamy bite. Drain and rinse both cans so the liquid in the soup comes from the tomatoes and broth. Keep the juices from the diced tomatoes. For the two cans of tomato sauce, use 8-ounce cans; a larger can changes the balance of this recipe.
Broth and herbs. Either chicken or beef broth works here. Beef broth gives the base a deeper flavor; chicken broth lets the tomato come through more clearly. Start with the listed 3 cups and keep a little extra nearby in case the pasta thickens the pot more than you want. Dried oregano and thyme go in with the garlic.
Build the soup base
Give the beef time to brown
Use a roomy, heavy pot so there is space to stir without spilling. Brown the ground beef first, breaking it up as it cooks. Once the pink is gone, give the crumbles a little time to take on color. Drain excess grease before adding the vegetables; a greasy surface can hide the brighter tomato flavor.
Soften the onion, carrots and celery
Stir the diced vegetables into the beef and reduce the heat to medium. The onion should soften and turn translucent, and the carrots should lose their raw edge. They will finish cooking in the broth, so they do not need to be completely tender yet. Stir from the bottom so the beef does not catch.
Add the garlic, oregano and thyme once the vegetables have softened. This only needs a brief stir over the heat. When the garlic smells fragrant, move straight on to the tomatoes. Letting minced garlic sit on the hot bottom of the pot for too long can make it bitter.
Add tomatoes, then beans and broth
Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juices and the tomato sauce. Scrape the browned bits from the bottom as the liquid loosens them. The mixture will look quite thick at this stage. That is expected; the broth comes next, along with the drained kidney and cannellini beans.
Bring the soup to a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil. Cook until a piece of carrot is tender when you bite into it. The beans are already cooked, so there is no need to boil them vigorously. If the base is bubbling too quickly or reducing fast, turn the heat down before adding the ditalini.
Put the pasta in last
Measure the ditalini while it is dry, then stir it into the simmering soup. Keep it moving, especially during the first few minutes, when small pasta shapes can settle against the bottom. The liquid should gently bubble around the edges, with enough movement to cook the pasta without a rolling boil.
Use the time on the pasta package as a guide and taste a piece before calling it done. The center should have a little firmness, without a hard, chalky bite. The broth will become fuller as the pasta cooks. If it turns too thick to ladle easily, loosen it with a small splash of broth or water.
You can also cook the ditalini separately, which gives you more control over the broth. Boil the same measured cup of dry pasta according to the package, drain it, and divide it among the bowls before ladling the finished soup over it. This is useful when people are coming to the table at different times.
Serve while the pasta has some bite
Taste for salt and pepper after the pasta is cooked. Broth, canned tomatoes and tomato sauce vary in saltiness, so the final adjustment matters more than a fixed amount added at the beginning. Ladle the soup into bowls while it is still easy to stir and the pasta holds its shape.
A slice of bread is a good side for the tomato broth. There is plenty in the bowl already, so serving it simply lets the beef, beans and vegetables stay the focus.
Questions from the stovetop
Can I use another small pasta shape?
Yes. Small elbows or short, tiny tubes work well. Choose something that fits comfortably on a spoon and check its package for timing. Larger shapes need more cooking time and can make the soup feel mostly like pasta.
Can I use only one kind of bean?
Use two cans of whichever bean you have, keeping the total amount the same. All kidney beans give a firmer bite; all cannellini beans make the texture softer. Either way, drain and rinse them before adding them to the pot.
Does the soup need to be covered?
A partly covered pot can help the base simmer without reducing too quickly. Once the pasta goes in, leave the lid off so you can stir and check it easily. Keep the heat low enough that the tomato broth does not spit.
For another soup night
For another beef-and-tomato bowl, try Cabbage Roll Soup. If you want a gentler broth with rice, Chicken Rice Soup takes dinner in a different direction.
Copycat Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 yellow onion diced small
- 2 carrots diced small
- 2 celery ribs diced small
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can kidney beans 15 to 15.5 ounces, drained and rinsed
- 1 can cannellini beans 15 to 15.5 ounces, drained and rinsed
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5 to 15 ounces, undrained
- 2 cans tomato sauce 8 ounces each
- 3 cups chicken or beef broth plus a little more if needed to adjust consistency
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup ditalini pasta uncooked
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it into small crumbles, until browned, about 7 to 9 minutes. Drain excess grease, leaving a light coating in the pot.
- Add the diced onion, carrots and celery. Cook over medium heat, stirring, for about 6 to 8 minutes, until the onion softens and the carrots begin to soften.
- Stir in the minced garlic, dried oregano and dried thyme. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds, just until fragrant, stirring so the garlic does not scorch.
- Add the undrained diced tomatoes and both 8-ounce cans of tomato sauce. Stir, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
- Add the drained and rinsed kidney beans and cannellini beans, then pour in 3 cups of chicken or beef broth. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the carrots are tender.
- Stir in 1 cup of uncooked ditalini. Keep the soup at a steady, gentle simmer and stir frequently, especially along the bottom.
- Start checking the pasta around 10 minutes, using the package time as a guide. Cook until al dente, or tender with a little firmness in the center. If the soup becomes too thick, add a small splash of broth or water.
- Taste the finished soup and adjust the salt and black pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve promptly while the pasta still has some bite.
