Pasta E Fagioli

stephcows's Note:

This is my personal copy of the Olive Garden Restaurant's recipe. I love the soup and I think this is a very good imitation for home. I taste the soup before it is almost finished, then add some more herbs if needed. If it is too thick, you can add more V-8.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, julienne
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 -4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 (14 ounce) cans tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can white beans
• 2 (12 ounce) cans V8 vegetable juice
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 (18 ounce) package pasta

Directions:

1. Saute beef and vegetables separately until tender.
2. Add all other ingredients except for pasta. (don't drain juice from beans).
3. Simmer for 1 hour.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions.
5. Spoon soup over pasta.

Reviews

[**Tinkerbell**]

This is a nice copycat version. It's been a few years since I've eaten at Olive Garden, but their Pasta E Fagioli is one of my favorite soups. I think this one needs just a little something else as far as the herbs and spices go, but I can't quite put my finger on what I'm missing. Next time I'll just add a bit more of the seasonings, as suggested in your intro, and see how that works out. We loved how fast this recipe was, and with most of the time spent simmering away on the stove, it was easy too! The only place I strayed slightly was to use gluten-free pasta. Thanks for sharing your creation, stephcows!