Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup Copycat Recipe

I love good hearty soups all year round, but everyone knows they're best during the cold months.

Speaking of cold, I had forgotten how cold Arkansas can get.  

We've had multiple nights in the upper-teens the past few weeks......I don't know if Virginia ever got that cold the entire nine years we lived there.

I have love the Olive Garden's Soup and Salad all you can eat lunch for years....and Pasta e Fagioli has always been my favorite.  (although never mind asking me to say it properly. I just point to it on the menu. Don't laugh.)

So I was super excited when I saw that Jaclyn from Cooking Classy had posted her version of the soup.  I had to try it out the very next week.  

We absolutely loved it.  

So positively delicious.  While I haven't eaten soup at the Olive Garden in a few years, I am certain that this soup is superior. And it's healthy, too.  

Win-win.  

Thank goodness we liked it, because this made a huge batch.  

Grant's only complaint about it was the red kidney beans.  He thought they looked really nice, but

they're just not a bean he cares for too much.  So next time I might

substitute in another bean for him....but I liked the kidney beans just fine.  

Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup Copycat Recipe (adapted slightly from Cooking Classy)

2 lbs lean ground turkey, ground beef, or Italian sausage

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

3 large carrots, diced

3-4 stalks celery, diced

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced finely

32 oz. tomato sauce (approximate - can be a little more or less)

1 quart vegetable broth (beef or chicken work well also)

1-1/2 cups water

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp. dried basil

2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried thyme

3/4 tsp. dried majoram

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1-1/2 cups ditalini pasta, uncooked

1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed

Parmesan or Romano cheese, for serving

Directions:

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large stock pan over medium high heat.  Crumble in ground meat and cook, stirring occasionally, until no pink remains.  Drain meat and set aside.  In the same pan, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil and saute carrots, celery, and onion over medium-high heat until tender.  Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.  Reduce heat to low; add tomato sauce, broth, water, canned tomatoes, sugar, basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram, cooked meat, and salt and pepper to taste. 

Cover with lid and allow to simmer at a low boil 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until veggies are soft.  Add pasta to pot and cook for 5 minutes.  Add beans and cook 5 minutes longer, or until pasta is tender.  

Serve warm with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, if desired.   

Note: The longer the soup sits, the more liquid the pasta will absorb.  Thin it with additional broth if desired. 

I ended up adding an extra 8 oz can of tomato sauce with a couple of cups of water and a little more spices to the leftovers the second day, as it had become more like a casserole.  It was still super delicious. 

Linked to Crumbs and Chaos/Seasonal Inspiration