Three Bean Pasta é Fagioli with Beef

Three Bean Pasta é Fagioli with Beef is the Italian comfort food at its finest!  Better than Olive Garden’s version!  Rich, robust flavors bursting from the broth, with the heartiness from the beans and beef together with the depth from the perfect blend on seasonings will keep you coming back for more. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed!

Soup Lovers

Like many others, our family, especially my parents, enjoy going to Olive Garden for endless soup and salad. We would buy gift cards for my parents’ anniversary because my father loves their soups so much. However, the local restaurant’s quality started to go downhill and we stopped enjoying going there. So I decided to make those soups myself. The results? The home cooked versions are much, much better, of course!

My wife makes is like the soup Queen. She has this innate ability to take whatever we have on hand and make an amazing soup or stew. So when she said she wanted to make the Olive Garden soups at home, I knew she would nail it!

She decided to tackle the Zuppa Toscana and Chicken & Gnocchi soups that are second to none. And I make the Minestrone and Pasta é Fagioli, which the latter is definitely my personal favorite!

Three Bean Pasta é Fagioli with Beef

This Three Bean Pasta é Fagioli with Beef has been a huge hit ever since the first time I made this! Here’s a few suggestions for you:

Make a big batch and freeze some. We do time to save time and it’s still delicious when we thaw it out. Just leave out the pasta. When you go to thaw it, you can do that in your microwave or on the stovetop. While it’s defrosting, then make your pasta.

Don’t wait for cold weather. We eat soup year round. We don’t eat steak or chicken cold in the summer, right? So hot food isn’t just for the winter. We love to have this soup all year long!

Have a soup party! Invite your friends and family over and each person brings a pot of soup. This one will be a huge hit!

Leave the pasta out. Did I just say that? After all, it is Pasta é Fagioli, isn’t it? Yes, but you can make this a low-carb meal by leaving out the pasta!

What Ingredients Are in Three Bean Pasta é Fagioli?

• Ground Beef
• Olive Oil
• Onion finely diced
• Carrot finely diced
• Celery finely diced
• Garlic minced
• Oregano, dried
• Basil, dried
• Parsley, dried
• Thyme, dried
• Tomato Sauce
• Petite Diced Tomatoes with liquid
• Water
• Black Beans drained and rinsed*
• White Beans drained and rinsed*
• Red Beans drained and rinsed*
• Beef Stock
• White Wine Vinegar
• Tabasco Sauce
• Ditalini Pasta
• Fresh Parsley

Ingredient Tips

Ground Beef – I use 80/20 for this because it has more flavor. I have tried this with Ground Chicken and Ground Turkey and they both tasted awesome!

Beans, Drained & Rinsed– I almost always rinse my beans because that reduces flatulence.

Beans, 3 types – I do this for the color. I like to have variety with my food so that it’s not boring.

Tabasco Sauce – this adds just a small undertone of spice. I’ve left it out and it changes the flavor.

How is Three Bean Pasta é Fagioli with Beef Made?

1. Brown the ground beef in a medium skillet. It is important to season the meat with salt and pepper while cooking. Drain the grease and set aside. Leave a couple tablespoons of grease in the meat.
2. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven or large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, sauté the onions, carrots, and celery until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Be sure to lightly season the veggies with salt and pepper. When they are just about done, add the garlic sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
3. When the vegetables are done, add the oregano, basil, parsley, and thyme and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Then add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and beans.  Pour some water into the empty cans of tomato sauce and diced tomato and swirl the water around to get the rest of the juices.  This will make the soup more flavorful. Cook for 2-3 minutes until warmed through.
4. Next, add the beef stock, vinegar, and Tabasco sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Add the beef.
5. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Taste the soup and make any seasoning adjustments if necessary.
6. While the the soup is simmering, boil water with salt for the pasta. Cook according the package instructions for al dente. When the pasta is done cooking, drain it and put it in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and stir it to coat the pasta to prevent it from sticking.
7. To assemble, place some cooked pasta in a soup bowl then ladle the soup over-top. Finish with some fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese, fresh if you have it.

Pro Tip – Do not put all the pasta in the pot of soup. It will draw in the liquid and expand, become mushy, and leave the soup looking more like a thick chili than a soup.

Try these other Olive Garden-like Soup Recipes!

We have made all 4 of the soups served at Olive Garden, but our own style. Most elements are similar, but there are a few key differences that make ours taste so much better than theirs. A little sceptical? Try them for yourself . . .

Zuppa Toscana

Best Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Pro Recommendations

I don’t know what I would do without my Dutch Oven. I put off buying one for years. However, once I bought it, I regretted not buying one sooner. We use it at least once a week. It is so versatile. It’s great for soups and stews, one pot meals, deep frying, and it can even be put in the oven. I highly recommend getting one. The link below is a brand I trust and use regularly.

Useful Kitchen Tools

I don’t know what I would do without these amazing kitchen tools. I use all of these at least once a week, some I use every day. None of these are sponsors. However, the links below are brands I trust and use regularly. I highly recommend these product to make your life in the kitchen easier.

Other Amazing Recipes That You’ll Love!

Beef Barley Soup

Guinness Beef Stew

French Onion Soup

Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup

Rustic Potato Leek Soup

5 from 2 votes

Print

Three Bean Pasta é Fagioli with Beef

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 12

Ingredients

• 3 lbs Ground Beef
• 3 tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
• 1 cup Onion finely diced
• 1 cup Carrot finely diced
• 1 cup Celery finely diced
• 2 Cloves Garlic minced
• 2 tablespoon Dried Oregano
• 2 teaspoon Dried Basil
• 2 teaspoon Dried Parsley
• 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
• 2 14.5- ounce cans Tomato Sauce
• 2 14.5- ounce cans Petite Diced Tomatoes with liquid
• 2 cup Water
• 1 15- ounce can Black Beans drained and rinsed*
• 1 15- ounce can Small White Beans drained and rinsed*
• 1 15- ounce can Small Red Beans drained and rinsed*
• 4 cups Beef Stock
• 1 Tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• ½ lb Ditalini Pasta
• Fresh Parsley, chopped for garnish
• Parmesan Cheese grated (fresh if possible)

Instructions

1. Brown the ground beef in a medium skillet. It is important to season the meat with salt and pepper while cooking. Drain the grease and set aside. Leave a couple tablespoons of grease in the meat.

2. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven or large stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, sauté the onions, carrots, and celery until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Be sure to lightly season the veggies with salt and pepper. When they are just about done, add the garlic sauté for another 2-3 minutes.

3. When the vegetables are done, add the oregano, basil, parsley, and thyme and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Then add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and beans. Pour some water into the empty cans of tomato sauce and diced tomato and swirl the water around to get the rest of the juices. This will make the soup more flavorful. Cook for 2-3 minutes until warmed through.

4. Next, add the beef stock, vinegar, and Tabasco sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Add the beef.

5. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Taste the soup and make any seasoning adjustments if necessary.

6. While the soup is simmering, boil water with salt for the pasta. Cook the pasta according the package instructions for al dente. When the pasta is done cooking, drain it and put it in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and stir it to coat the pasta to prevent it from sticking.

7. To assemble, place some cooked pasta in a soup bowl then ladle the soup over-top. Finish with some fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese, fresh if you have it.