Monday, February 28, 2011

Pasta e Fagioli

Soup was on the menu this weekend, and I decided to make a special treat, Pasta e Fagioli.  After all it was our 8 month anniversary!  For those of you who have been to Olive Garden for "Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks" this recipe is exactly like theirs.  For those of you who haven't tried it before, please add it to your menu sometime soon.  This is an easy recipe, and very, very tasty.  The wine is optional, but highly recommended.




Pasta e Fagioli (from Olive Garden)

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 large carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart of tomatoes (or 2 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes)
1 15-oz. can red kidney beans (w/ liquid)
1 15-oz. can Great Northern Beans (w/ liquid)
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
1 T. white vinegar
1 ½ t. salt
1 t. oregano
1 t. basil
½ t. pepper
½ t. thyme
½ lb. Ditali pasta

1.  Brown the ground beef in a large stock pot or Dutch Oven over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and saute for 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
3. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring often.
4. At 50 minutes into simmer time, cook the pasta according to package directions, until al dente.  Drain the pasta and add to the pot of soup.
5. Simmer for 5-10 minutes and serve.  Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

29 comments:

  1. This is Dale's favorite there, so will give this a try for sure. thanks.

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  2. Made thiss for Dinner tonight and it was DELICIOUS!! Tasted just like Olive Garden's. I have been looking for a recipe like this forever because I love Olive Garden's soup. Thank You!!

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  3. could i add chard or spinach you think ?

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  4. WRONG!!!!

    This recipe is missing 2 or 3 line items!!! It does not have enuf fluid as its written! Add 2 cans tomato juice and cup of beef broth!

    Correct is http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/160813/olive-gardens-pasta-e-fagioli

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    1. THANK YOU for posting the corrected recipe. I was JUST on the phone with my sister to talk about ingredients and I was JUST commenting to her that something's not right because it doesn't tell you how much liquid to add. So glad you already posted another recipe, so I don't have to hunt online for the rest of the ingredients!

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  6. Thank you qctechquy for posting the correction. I was in the middle of making this recipe before I realized that it was WAY too thick. You saved my dinner!

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  7. My husband loves this soup from olive garden and I decided to make it for him for his birthday. I could not find the pasta anywhere so I made it tortellini four cheese pasta instead and it was a HUGE hit. Thanks for the recipe :)

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  8. How much tomato juice should I add?

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  9. It is thick and hearty. More stew-like than soup-like. Tasty!

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  10. Thanks for sharing. Here are my thoughts after making it....I don't like the juice from the cans of beans being used...for me, it adds wayyy to much of a beans/sultry flavor. I added some beef broth because it came out too chunky and not very soupy, added broth worked.

    I also decided to take beef out and drain it, then i cooked my carrots down firs, then after about 5 minutes i added the onion and celery, and added the garlic a few min later, then added beef back in.

    Think next time I will use cut up fresh tomatoes as this time I used canned.
    All in all, pretty good dish, everyone went back for seconds!! :-)

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  11. Thank you all for your comments - after looking back I did leave out one key ingredient from my recipe. I have updated the blog post. It should include a 15 oz. can of tomato sauce. And yes, this recipe does result in a thicker stew than a soup, but the taste is the same, and we really enjoy it. For those of you who tried it, I'm glad that you liked it. And with any recipe - there are always differences - make it your own!

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  12. Is this the same recipe that called for a jar of prego traditional spaghetti sauce? I swear this is the same one but now its changed. I'm I crazy?

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    1. This recipe doesn't contain spaghetti sauce. The only correction I made was to add the tomato sauce. The recipe as posted is the correct one. Hope you have a chance to try it!

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    2. There is one on food.com that calls for the spaghetti sauce...

      http://www.food.com/slideshow/best-slow-cooker-recipes-126/pasta-e-fagioli-soup-12?soc=pinterest

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  13. All I know it, it smells delicious! I did everything except added a cup of red wine to make it a little soupier :) Can't wait to eat it tonight for dinner.

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  15. I wondered why it was so thick so I added some broth to it. I knew it wouldn't be enough to feed my crew without adding it anyway. It is very yummy! Thanks for sharing!

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  16. I have made this several times with almost the same recipe except I drain the beans and add some beef broth for extra flavor. Try adding your pasta to each bowl before serving. The pasta sitting in it makes it thick adding it at serving time keeps it like soup.

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  17. I could go for this right now! Looks and sounds delicious! =)

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  18. I didn't add broth. I added burgandy wine. :)

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  19. Tried this a week or so ago and loved it! I did have to add about 2-4 cups more liquid. I used a combo of chicken broth I had in the fridge and my salty pasta water. Tastes just like OG's! THanks for sharing!

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  20. I have this simmering on the stove and it smells wonderful. I drained the beans since I prefer them that way so I was a little short on liquid. I added almost a whole can of veggie broth since that's what I had on hand. I will probably use beef broth next time. Thanks for a great recipe!

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  21. can you tell me how many people this would feed as a main dish? Or approximately how many cups of soup are there. I am going to make this for hungry football players

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  22. There are two recipes, right? One is for a stew version the other for soup. The soup version I found though is for 36 servings....that's the one that calls for spaghetti sauce.

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  23. I made this soup while I was pregnant and stored it in 2-person servings in the freezer and we are still eating it 3 1/2 months later! It will definitely be featured in my "What to Cook When You're Expecting" post-to-come!

    http://nikkieandbabies.blogspot.com/

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  24. We loved it! Thanks for sharing :)

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  25. I made this last night for dinner, I thought it was the best ever. My husband ate two bowls and that was a surprise to me, because his is a light eater. We loved it. Thank you.

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