Pasta fa*gioli Soup Recipe (2024)

Simple ingredients that meld together to make the perfect comfort meal.

• Ground beef – a great protein for this soup. You’ll want to use lean beef.
• Vegetables – we like the combination of yellow onion, carrots, and celery, along with some garlic cloves for aromatics.
• Chicken broth – a high-quality broth is key for getting a great depth of flavor in the soup!
• Diced tomatoes – canned diced tomatoes are great for an easy addition of tomatoes and juice.
• Pasta – we use ditalini pasta but you can use your favorite shape of small pasta. Other great pasta options are orzo, fusilli, elbow macaroni, and cavatelli.
• Red kidney beans – drained and rinsed. You can also substitute with navy beans.
• Spinach – fresh spinach adds some greens to the soup as well as flavor. You can also use kale like in ourclassic zuppa toscana.

For a full list of ingredients and quantities, see the recipe card below.

Slow Cooker:

1. Brown the meat in a skillet and transfer it to a crock pot.
2. Add all the ingredients aside from the pasta, beans, and spinach.
3. Proceed to cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4.
4. Afterwards, turn the heat to high, and add the pasta, beans, and spinach. Then, finish cooking for about 30-45 minutes or until pasta is cooked.

Instant Pot:

1. Start off by sautéing the meat in the instant pot.
2. Add in the remaining ingredients besides pasta, beans, and spinach.
3. Cook on the soup setting, with high pressure for about 20-30 minutes.
4. Add in pasta, beans, as well as spinach and cook for the remaining 10 minutes, until the pasta is cooked.

• Tomatoes:If you aren’t the biggest fan of chunks of tomato, you can blend the diced tomato with the juice for an easy tomato puree. You can use fresh tomatoes in lieu of canned tomatoes.
• Broth:A high-quality broth is key for getting great flavor all throughout the soup. You can use chicken broth, beef broth or even vegetable broth with great results.
• Texture:This soup can be made thick, similar to oureasy chili, or more liquidy. To get thick soup, cook it on high for a bit longer, letting the liquid reduce.
• Time:If you aren’t on a time crunch, let your soup simmer longer before adding in the pasta. This will only benefit the flavor of the soup.

Serving Suggestions

• Soup and salad:Serve up the soup in combination with a classiccaesar saladfor a well-balanced meal.
• Olive Garden style:Transport your family to whereitalianmeetsamerican cuisineby serving up our Olive Garden favorites. Pair the restaurant’s classic soup withbuttery breadsticksand alight chicken scampi!
• Bread:Soup is best complemented withcrispy italian bread, or some garlic bread!

• Storage.Refrigerate soup in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• Reheat.Warm the soup over medium heat until at a light simmer.
• Freeze.If you would like to freeze this soup, store it in freezer-safe containers, before you add the pasta.Reheat:Let soup thaw in the fridge, and warm over medium heat until lightly simmering. Add uncooked pasta and cook until pasta is tender.

If you enjoyed this soup recipe, be sure to try our other popular sour recipes, here’s some of our favorites:

• Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
• Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
• Split Pea Soup
• Creamy Potato Soup with Chicken
• Meatball Soup Recipe