Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli Soup
9 Comments May 25, 2023
Updated Oct 06, 2023
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This Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli Soup recipe has pantry staples like chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, ground beef, canned beans, carrots, and a few seasonings. It takes just a few hours for the flavors to marry together for a soup that’s sure to please the whole family (and become a family favorite, too).
Looking for more Olive Garden Style Recipes? soups to try? You may like my Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup, Zuppa Toscana or Chicken and Gnocchi Soup recipes.
Table of Contents
What is Pasta Fagioli?
If you find yourself in or around New York, then you may hear this soup called pasta fasul or pasta fazool in the New York Italian dialect. In short, it simply means pasta and beans, which go great together in soup.
While some variations create a thicker base overall, this recipe is a bit runnier but makes up for the ingredients’ heartiness. Making pasta fagioli cooked ground beef, onions, carrots, legumes, and ditalini pasta team together for a delicious one-pot meal that can be enjoyed anytime. This is sure to be a satisfying meal!
Recipe Ingredients
- Ground Beef: Some recipes call for pancetta, but I like the taste of cooked beef sauteed with onions.
- Chicken Broth: Not only does this broth add flavor, but it also helps with creating the soup base.
- Crushed Canned Tomatoes: This ismixture of diced tomatoes and tomato puree (or tomato sauce). You can make this yourself with a can of diced tomatoes.
- Beans: The two types of beans used in this recipe are kidney beans and canned cannellini beans (also known as white beans), making this a hearty soup.
- Vegetables: Chopped carrot and a diced white onion add the perfect texture and flavor to the soup.
- Pasta: Ditalini pasta gives this soup its unique look.
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, salt, and black pepper add the finishing touches.
Step One – Add beef and diced onion in a large skillet. Saute until the meat has been completely browned and the onions are translucent and fragrant.
Step Two – Add the beef and all remaining dry ingredients (except pasta) to the crock pot.
Step Three – Pour in the chicken broth and crushed tomatoes. Stir until everything is well combined. cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours.
Step Four – Toward the end of cooking time, cook pasta to al dente according to box instructions. Drain well.
Step Five – Add the pasta to the cooked soup.
Step Six – Stir in the pasta until combined throughout the soup. Serve and enjoy!
How to Serve
- We like this soup best with parmesan cheese and bread. If you can, opt in for freshly grated parmesan cheese because it melts better. Garlic bread or garlic toast makes a great and flavorful addition. Really, any type of crusty bread will work.
- Regarding seasonings and other garnishes, you can add red pepper flakes, freshly chopped parsley, or Italian seasoning (common for Italian soups).
- If you plan to serve this hot soup from the slow cooker, you can do so if you plan on stirring occasionally.
Recipe FAQs
You can, but the small pasta it calls for is what makes this soup unique.
Chopped Italian sausage or ground Italian sausage is the most commonly used. Just make sure you add cooked sausage.
Vegetable broth will make this a savory soup and not change the flavor by much at all. Skip the parmesan cheese if you want to make this vegan.
Add any remaining soup to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat the soup over medium heat until warmed throughout.
Great northern beans are common in a classic Italian soup.
This is a wonderful recipe using canned beans. Dried beans will take longer to cook, and you’ll want to use more liquid.
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Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 white onion , diced
- 3 carrots, diced
- 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- 1 ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
- 32 oz. chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups dried ditalini pasta (WAIT TO ADD), (cooked on the stovetop according to package directions)
Serving suggestions
- shredded parmesan cheese
- French bread or rolls
Instructions
- In a skillet on the stove top brown the ground beef and onion together. Drain off fat if necessary and add the meat and onions to the slow cooker.
- Add the carrots, beans, and seasonings.
- Pour over the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth. Stir.
- Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
- When the cooking time is done, cook the pasta according to the package directions to al dente. Drain and add the pasta to the soup.
- Serve and enjoy! We like this soup best with parmesan cheese and bread.
Sarah’s Notes
- Nutritional values do not include parmesan cheese or bread.
- Vegetable broth can be use if you want a vegetarian soup.
- Add any remaining soup to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat the soup over medium heat until warmed throughout.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
How can I make this with more juice?
Add more chicken broth or water.
Made this over the weekend, it was great, gave some to my neighbor and he loved it too
Is it 1 1/2 tsp of salt?
Really nice flavor! I tossed in the pasta dry, but will reduce to 1 cup next time so it’s more soupy as mine was more of a chili consistency. Thank you
My great grandmother (who was from Italy) used to make fagioli with ceci beans (chick peas) So, I would say you could sub those for the cannellini beans 🙂
Great idea, thanks!
So how much pasta?
1 1/2 cups 🙂 I fixed it, thank you!