This nourishing, everyone’s favorite, copycat Olive Garden soup recipe is loaded with hearty ground sausage, fresh diced vegetables, beans, tender ditalini pasta noodles, and delicious herbs in a savory broth. Pasta e Fagioli Soup is absolutely delicious and will always be a favorite in our home.
And you don’t want to miss out on this hearty, cozy-sweater soup recipe either.
Did you know you can easily prepare this recipe over the stovetop or in the Crock-Pot?
This recipe is so easy yet so, so delicious!

This is one of the best gluten and dairy free soups you will ever make. It’s so hearty, delicious, and full of the warm cozies.
As an added bonus, it’s also soy and egg free, too.
You won’t believe how mouthwatering this soup smells as it simmers over the stovetop.
pasta e fagioli soup ingredients
- grapeseed oil— or use your favorite oil such as vegetable or olive
- diced yellow onion
- ground sausage— always double check your sausage brand is gluten free. We prefer the Mulay’s Italian sausage which is certified gluten free and free of the top 8 allergens. You can also substitute with ground beef or ground turkey in this recipe. Plus the meat can be omitted for a meatless recipe.
- diced fire roasted tomatoes— we use these fire roasted tomatoes in most of our soup recipes. These are fire roasted over an open flame to accentuate their sweet flavor and elevate the flavor of recipes.
- tomato sauce
- tomato paste
- Worcestershire sauce— in the United States the Lea and Perrins brand is gluten free
- beef broth— we use Pacific Brands. Here is there allergen information. You can also use chicken broth. And if you’d like to stretch this recipe out with more servings, add more broth to the recipe.
- diced carrot
- diced celery
- paprika— always double check your spices are gluten free. The McCormick brand is a well-known safe brand.
- Italian seasoning
- garlic powder
- oregano
- black pepper
- kosher salt
- dark red kidney beans— canned
- great northern beans— canned
- gluten free ditalini pasta— our go-to is the Le Veneziane corn pasta. You can also use other small noodles such as elbow or mini shells. We would not recommend longer noodles such as penne or spaghetti pasta.
- garnishes— grated dairy free cheese, fresh chopped parsley

frequently asked questions
when do we add in the soft, tender pasta noodles
We prefer to add the tender pasta noodles to individual bowls of soup as we serve them.
This way any leftover soup will still taste absolutely delicious and you won’t offend anyone with mushy or soggy ditalini noodles that continued soaking up soup broth.
We suggest refrigerating leftover pasta noodles and soup in different airtight containers up to 3 days.
what gluten free pasta noodles can I use
We oftentimes use the Le Veneziane Ditalini corn pasta available on Amazon. It’s silly how much fun it is to add these pasta noodles to this soup. You really think you’re in Olive Garden enjoying this soup!
Not to mention small noodles such as elbow or mini shells also work well. However, we don’t recommend serving this soup with longer noodles such as penne pasta or spaghetti pasta.
can this soup be prepared in the Crock-Pot
Great news! This copycat Olive Garden soup can easily be prepared in the Crock-Pot.
We do suggest adding in the beans the last half of the time; otherwise they get mushy. And prepare the gluten free pasta noodles according to the box directions on the stovetop just before serving.
Simply add the tender noodles to individual bowls of soup.
can this soup be prepared ahead of time
Yes. This is an easy-peasy soup to prepare in advance, then refrigerate. We suggest heating and adding the beans and pasta noodles in just before serving; otherwise they tend to get mushy.
can this soup be frozen
Yes. Again we only freeze the base of this soup and add in heated beans and ditalini pasta before serving.
what is the difference between pasta e fagioli and minestrone soup
These two Italian soups are actually very similar. The main difference is minestrone features a wide variety of vegetables, pasta fagioli emphasizes the pasta and beans. Both soups are a win-win in our home.
what does fagioli mean in Italian
The word fagioli (pronounced “fa-JOLE-ee”) is the Italian word for beans.
what sides go best with pasta e fagioli soup
We have enjoyed this homemade Italian soup with baked potato wedges, roasted brussels sprouts, steamed green beans, and roasted carrots.
And oftentimes we enjoy these warm delicious dinner rolls and breadsticks from My Bread Gluten Free Bakery on the side too. These taste incredibly wonderful with this cozy soup. BTW– everything in their online bakery is gluten, dairy, soy, egg, and nut free, and amazing.
more cozy and warming dinner recipes you’ll love
- lasagna soup— one-pot soup with all your favorite Italian ingredients perfectly simmered and delicious
- manicotti— flavored ground beef with a creamy spinach ricotta stuffed into tender manicotti shells, covered with a delicious pasta sauce and baked to perfection
- cowboy hamburger soup— a filling, incredibly easy to make dish that tastes oh so comforting on chilly days
- chicken pot pie— creamy, full of flavorful vegetables, packed with shredded rotisserie chicken, and all nestled in a flaky, buttery crust. This is a must-try recipe.
must-try desserts
- homemade fudgy brownies— you’ll never need to buy a box mix again after baking these homemade brownies with crispy edges, fudgy middles, and a deep rich chocolate flavor
- classic apple crisp— an old-fashioned dessert that makes you feel all warm and cozy no matter the season with fresh baked cinnamon apples and brown sugar. Plus there’s double the topping so everyone gets plenty
- oatmeal chocolate chip cookies— they taste like you just picked them up from the bakery with those crispy edges and chewy centers loaded with rolled oats and semi-sweet chocolate
- s’mores pizza— this ooey gooey recipe is enjoyed year-round and always a hit

lastly
This is one ultimate comfort food recipe you need to pin now.
Then grab your favorite chunky sweater, cozy wool socks and enjoy a warm bowl of this Pasta e Fagioli Soup with a warm, buttery dinner roll or roasted veggies.
There is no doubt this copycat Olive Garden recipe is one of our all-time favorites and soon to be yours.
And you’ll be amazed with the flavor and texture of so many more cozy winter recipes on our website. Start pinning them now.
Follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. Be sure to like and comment often so you keep seeing our new recipes, product alerts, and giveaways in your feed.
We don’t want you to miss the best of eating gluten and dairy free.
Eat well and feel well,
Jill
Pasta e Fagioli Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp grapeseed oil or oil of choice
- ⅓ yellow onion diced
- 1 lb gluten free ground Italian sausage can substitute with ground beef or turkey
- 14.5 oz fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp gluten free Worcestershire sauce suggestion in post
- 4 c beef broth can substitute with chicken broth
- 1 c carrots peeled and diced
- 1 c celery diced
- 1 tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper add more to taste
- salt add to taste
- 15 oz canned dark red kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 15 oz canned great northern beans rinsed and drained
- 1 c dry gluten free ditalini pasta other suggestions in post
- garnishes– grated dairy free cheese and chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Add oil to a large pot and heat on medium. Once heated add in the diced onions.
- Then add sausage and brown, cutting into smaller bite size pieces. Drain excess grease.
- Place the fire roasted tomatoes, sauce, and paste into the pot, along with the Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, carrots, celery and spices; cover.
- Simmer on medium-high heat until the veggies are tender. Add in the beans and turn to low.
- Prepare the pasta as directed on the box.
- Serve the soup into individual bowls and add in tender pasta. Garnish with your favorite grated dairy free cheese and fresh chopped basil on top.
- Refrigerate and store leftovers up to 3 days. Reheat and serve.
Notes
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Tara
Wednesday 22nd of September 2021
Easy to pull together…prepped and just warmed up before serving. Kept pasta separate until then also. The sausage makes this extra yummy!
Jill
Wednesday 22nd of September 2021
Tara- I'm so excited you enjoyed this recipe. And you are right, the ground sausage does make for an extra yummy soup. Jill