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Olive Garden Copycat Pasta e fa*gioli 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.
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Note: This post has been updated with reheating directions!
Pasta fa*gioli Instant Pot
Todays Instant Pot Pasta fa*gioli 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 fa*gioli 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 fa*gioli.
- 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 fa*gioli 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 fa*gioli 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 fa*gioli 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 fa*gioli 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 fa*gioli
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 fa*gioli 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 fa*gioli 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 fa*gioli?
Serve Pasta e fa*gioli 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 fa*gioli 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 fa*gioli 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 fa*gioli 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 fa*gioli 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
How do you keep pasta from over cooking in soup?
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.
What pasta is similar to Ditalini?
Small Macaroni pasta, small shell pasta are similar to ditalini.
What is the difference between Minestrone and Pasta e fa*gioli?
The difference between Minestrone and Pasta e fa*gioli is that Minestrone contains a lot of vegetables while an authentic Italian Pasta e fa*gioli 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 fa*gioli 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 trythisBest Pasta e fa*gioli 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 onPinterestor subscribe our freeNEWLETTERfor new recipes every week!
Olive Garden Copycat Pasta e fa*gioli Instant Pot
5 from 29 votes
Print Recipe Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 352kcal
Author: Meghna
Watch Recipe Video
Olive Garden Copycat Pasta e fa*gioli Instant Pot tastes even better than the restaurant version. This healthy Pasta fa*gioli soup will warm your soul any day, loaded with protein packed beans, Italian sausage, tomatoes & an amazing bunch of seasonings.
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
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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 fa*gioli 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 fa*gioli 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 fa*gioli 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!
Calorific details are provided by a third party application & are to be used as indicative figures only.
Nutrition
Calories: 352kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 465mg | Potassium: 992mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2468IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 5mg
Course :Entree, Soup
Cuisine :American, Italian
Keyword :Instant Pot Pasta fa*gioli, Instant Pot Pasta fa*gioli Soup, Olive Garden Copycat Pasta e fa*gioli Instant Pot
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