Olive Garden's famous Pasta e Fagioli soup is good on cold Fall nights or rainy cool Spring days with sprinkled with some parmesan cheese on top, and a piece of crusty bread! A copycat version you can make at home.
This post was updated on May, 1st, 2019. The picture was driving me crazy and it needed to be updated, plus the freestyle smart points I had needed to be updated as well after a reader had commented saying that Olive Garden's soup is only 2 smart points and I had 6 before. Previous comments about people asking for points are from WW previous plans. There are so many different varieties of sausage out there that can be used for this soup. I have used Sweet Italian Sausage and Hot Italian Sausage for this Fagioli soup. If you don't like either sub out for chicken or turkey sausage. Use the WW recipe builder to figure out points for each sausage. With 1 cup of pasta, the soup became really thick so I lowered it down to only ½ cup.
Need more WW recipes? Try these! Weight Watchers Pizza (Chicken Alfredo), Weight Watchers Fried Rice, or Easy No Boil Manicotti
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Why You Will Like This Recipe
Olive Garden is one of my favorite places to eat carbs. Their breadsticks are to die for and one could fill up on just soup and salad for a light lunch. I have to be really careful on the number of breadsticks I eat at Olive Garden because the calories and points can add up pretty quickly. Pasta Fagioli is one of my favorite soups on their menu and it is a hearty soup filled with beans and pasta. Actually, I think it is similar to a hearty Italian chili. Some recipes call for Italian sausage or pancetta. The smell of bacon, onions, carrots, and celery cooking in a pot with some garlic is just one of the best cooking smells out there.
Walmart has these cheese breadsticks located in their bakery section and each breadstick is 3 smart points each. One of the ladies I follow on Instagram raves about them and I finally tried them. They are very good with this soup but not like Olive Garden's breadsticks. 1 breadstick with 1 cup of this soup is only 6 smart points.
Where I live Ditalini pasta can be super hard to find. There are two local grocery stores here and neither of them has that shaped pasta. I have to go to Wal-Mart just to find it and when I go there. I'll pick up a couple of boxes of ditalini and those breadsticks for this soup. There are lots of yummy zero point foods in this soup!
Ingredients for Olive Garde Pasta Fagioli
- Ditalini pasta or large ringed pasta
- 8 oz of sweet Italian sausage (can sub turkey sausage or chicken sausage)
- Veggies - Garlic, Onion, Carrots, Celery
- Chicken broth - The best type of stock to use is one that is homemade. For canned stock, I look for ones that say reduced sodium or fat free.
- Crushed tomatoes - When purchasing canned tomatoes, it is important to read the label and choose a product with no added salt or sugar if you are looking for a healthier option.
- Basil
- Dried oregano - is a common herb used in cooking, particularly in Mediterranean and Mexican cuisine. It has a pungent, slightly bitter taste and a strong aroma
- Dried thyme
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste - I never add any extra salt to my soup because there is enough of it in the other canned foods.
- 1 (15-ounce) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can of Dark Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
- Parmesan cheese (optional)
How to make Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli Soup
Step 1 Spray a large Dutch oven with cooking spray. Heat to medium-high heat. Add sweet Italian turkey sausage to the skillet and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, drain excess fat and set aside.
Step 2 Stir in garlic, onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
Step 3 Whisk in chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
Step 4 Add in uncooked pasta and beans until heated through.
If you want leftovers of this soup or want to reheat it the next day, it will be very thick. Add in a little extra water before reheating
Recipe FAQS
Nutrition info is calculated with the zero point food included in the recipe I pay for the WW app monthly to figure out points and use myfitnesspal for nutrition.
The points for the recipe will always be listed in the Notes section of the recipe.
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Weight Watchers Pasta Fagioli
- Prep Time: 10min
- Cook Time: 20-25min
- Total Time: 35min
- Yield: 9
- Category: Easy
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
Olive Garden's famous Pasta e Fagioli soup is good on cold Fall nights or rainy cool Spring days with sprinkled with some parmesan cheese on top, and a piece of crusty bread! A copycat version you can make at home.
Ingredients
- ½ cup ditalini pasta or large ringed pasta
- 8 oz of sweet Italian sausage
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 (15-ounce) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can of Dark Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
- Toppings: parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Spray a large Dutch oven with cooking spray. Heat to medium-high heat. Add sweet Italian turkey sausage to the skillet and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, drain excess fat and set aside.
- Stir in garlic, onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Whisk in chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add in uncooked pasta and beans until heated through.
- Serving size: 1 cup.
Notes
myWW points: Blue 3; Green 5; Purple 3
My WW Personal Points: 5 Click here to see in recipe builder (will have to log in)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 227
- Fat: 7.9g
- Carbohydrates: 24.4g
- Fiber: 4.6g
- Protein: 15.3g
Debra says
Have you converted this to SP yet? I used to live in Italy... I love this soup...
Sharon says
I made this soup this week, it was a big hit with my husband. Since we are vegetarian, I substituted a vegan sausage and it was delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Julie says
How much is a serving? That would be helpful to know!!!!
Beverly says
What is the serving size? 1 cup, 1 1/2 cups?
Michael B. Bess says
Love Pasta e Fagoli, it’s one of my favorite soups! This looks like a great version of the dish 🙂
Katie says
do you know what the actual individual serving size would be for this recipe?
Leibfred says
I love pasta e fagioli soup and remember my mom making it on chilly fall evenings. This recipe sounds delicious and easy enough for me to try to make.
Jenna says
That is a good question! I pronouce it like fahhhh-gee-olly. Not sure if that is right either. 🙂
Kate @ Babaganosh.org says
Yum, that's a hearty meal, and it looks so easy for such a filling soup. I think I'll assign this recipe to my fiance, hopefully he can handle recipes that are only 4-5 steps. 🙂
Question: How do you pronounce fagioli? I've heard people around me (in NJ) say it like "fah-jool" where the j is sort of a soft j sound. Do other regions in the US pronounce it differently? More importantly, how do Italian people say it?
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says
That's just how I like soup- nice and thick with lots of stuff in it! Looks delicious. The weather here has been so hot for the last month. I'm really ready for some comfort food weather!