Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup
Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup is so delicious and you can use any large slow cooker to make this tummy-warming soup! The soup recipe is vegetarian as written, but you can definitely add cooked Italian Sausage if you prefer!
Click here to PIN Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup!
Pasta e Fagioli means simply “pasta and beans” and there are many variations of this traditional Italian soup. If you have an Italian grandmother, this is the soup she probably made for you, or perhaps you’ve had a version of it at an Italian restaurant. Either way, this soup is Italian comfort food at its best, and this Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup tasted great when I tried it out with my brother Rand on one of those chilly spring days that are so common in Utah.
And this soup is a meatless Pasta Fagioli recipe, but you can add some mild or spicy Italian Sausage to the soup if you prefer! Hope you will try making Pasta e Fagioli Soup if you’ve had this tasty soup in a restaurant.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- onion
- celery
- carrots
- garlic
- Italian Herb Seasoning (affiliate link)
- Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) (Or any all-purpose seasoning blend)
- ground fennel (affiliate link)
- red pepper flakes
- red beans
- canned vegetable broth (affiliate link)
- tomato sauce
- salt and black pepper
- Parmesan rind
- Whole Wheat Orzo (affiliate link) (or use brown rice for gluten-free)
- white balsamic vinegar (affiliate link)
- Parmesan cheese
- Dried Parsley (affiliate link)
What slow cooker did I use for Pasta e Fagioli Soup?
I made this soup in the Ninja Cooker that my wonderful blogging and real-life friend Lydia sent me as a housewarming present. Lydia got a Ninja Cooker a few months ago and she was so sure I would love it too. (Thanks Lydia!) However, I’m not trying to convince you that everyone needs a Ninja Cooker, any Five Quart Slow Cooker (affiliate link) will work for this recipe, and I’ll give instructions that make it clear how to make the dish either way.
What if you don’t want meatless Pasta e Fagioli Soup?
This vegetarian soup is loaded with flavor, but you can definitely add browned Italian Sausage to the slow cooker if you prefer Pasta e Fagioli Soup with meat!
What beans did we use for Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup?
We used canned red beans for this meatless pasta fagioli, but you can use any beans you prefer.
Do you love the slow cooker?
If you’re still a slow cooker fan, click here for more Slow Cooker (and Instant Pot) recipes on my other site!
How to Make Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Heat the olive oil and saute the onion (either in a pan on the stove or in the Ninja Slow Cooker until it’s starting to soften, about 4 minutes.
- Add the chopped celery and carrots to the onion and cook 3-4 minutes more. Then add the minced garlic, Italian Herb Seasoning (affiliate link), Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), fennel and red pepper flakes and saute about 1 minutes more. (Transfer to slow cooker if you’re sauteeing in a pan.)
- Rinse the canned red beans until no more foam appears.
- Add the beans, vegetable stock, and tomato sauce to the slow cooker and season the soup with a little salt and fresh ground black pepper and start to cook.
- If you really want to get the full Italian grandmother flavor, add a couple of Parmesan rinds to the soup when you start cooking it. (This is optional, you can add more Parmesan to the finished soup if you don’t have a rind.)
- After the soup has cooked 3-4 hours on high (or 6-7 hours on low), add the whole wheat orzo (or brown rice) and cook about 40 minutes more.
- Stir in balsamic vinegar to finish the soup and serve hot, with chopped parsley and freshly grated Parmesan to add at the table.
More Tasty Slow Cooker Soups:
- Slow Cooker Indian Lentil Soup
- Slow Cooker Ground Beef Soup with Cabbage
- Slow Cooker Cabbage Soup with Ham
Weekend Food Prep:
This Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup
I made Pasta e Fagioli Soup in my new Ninja Cooker, but you can use any slow cooker to make this delicious tummy-warming soup!
Ingredients
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 cup sliced celery
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 1 T minced garlic
- 1 tsp. Italian Herb Blend (Use any brand of Italian seasoning that you have.)
- 2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (Or substitute any type of all-purpose seasoning blend that you like.)
- 1/2 tsp. ground fennel (probably optional, but it adds a lot of flavor.)
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- two 15 oz. cans red beans, rinsed and drained
- three 14 oz. cans vegetable broth (or use homemade vegetable stock, which would be fantastic in this)
- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- several pieces Parmesan rind (optional, but does add wonderful flavor to the soup)
- 1/2 cup 100% Whole Wheat Orzo Pasta (see notes)
- 2 T good quality balsamic vinegar
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
- chopped fresh parsley for serving
Instructions
- Heat olive oil (either in the Ninja Cooker or in a pan on the stove) and saute the onions until they start to soften, about 4 minutes.
- Add the celery and carrots and cook 3-4 minutes more, then add the minced garlic, Italian Herb Seasoning (affiliate link), Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), ground fennel, and red pepper flakes and cook about a minute more. (Transfer to the slow cooker if you’re using a pan on the stove.)
- While the vegetables are cooking, put the beans in a colander placed in the sink and rinse well with cold water, until no more foam appears.
- When vegetables are done, add the drained beans, vegetable broth, tomato sauce, salt, and fresh ground black pepper to the slow cooker (along with the Parmesan rinds if you have some) and cook on high for 3-4 hours (or on low for 6-8 hours.)
- Add the orzo (or other small pasta shape, or brown rice for gluten-free) and cook about 40 minutes more.
- Remove Parmesan rinds and stir in the balsamic vinegar.
- Serve soup hot, with freshly grated Parmesan and chopped fresh parsley to add at the table.
- This freezes well, and I’m glad I have some in the freezer for the next chilly spring day!
Notes
I'd use at least a Five Quart Slow Cooker (affiliate link) for this recipe, and a larger size would also work.
You could substitute any type of small whole wheat pasta, or use brown rice for gluten-free variation.
This recipe was adapted from 50 Simple Soups for the Slow Cooker, although I spiced it up quite a bit.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 281Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 1mgSodium 1019mgCarbohydrates 47gFiber 10gSugar 4gProtein 14g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
You could make this soup lower in carbs by using less carrots, beans, and pasta, but this can never be a low-carb soup with pasta and beans. The Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup would be Phase 2 or 3 for the original South Beach Diet, due to the carrots and whole wheat orzo. If you substitute another pasta shape, it needs to be whole wheat pasta for South Beach.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup Recipes to find more like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup was posted in 2013. It was last updated in 2021 with the option to add sausage, and was last updated with more information in 2024.
33 Comments on “Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup”
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If your crock pot is larger, will this make a big difference?
I think the Ninja cooker is bigger than I realized when I wrote this so I'm sure a bigger size will work.
This is truly delicious, I've made it several times now and we can't get enough! Thank you for the recipe.
Heather, so glad you are enjoying it! One of my own favorites too.
i would like to make this but can't find ground fennel or the all purpose seasoning so disappointed
Most grocery stores should have ground fennel in the spice department, but if not you can order it from a spice house. I really love The Spice House, but any place that sells spices should have it. Spike Seasoning is definitely optional in the soup. It's usually sold near the health foods, not by the spices, or you can definitely get Spike Seasoning at Amazon.com.
By the way, I think the soup would still be good, just not quite as flavorful, if you just made it without those two seasonings.
You can ground your own…I'd use a shot glass and bowl, make shift mortar and pestle. I used whole fennel and Mrs. Dash for my spike seasoning. Mine turned out amazing!
Emily, that will definitely work too!
I meant without the tomato sauce.
Thanks again for this wonderful recipe!
Andrea, do you mean without the pasta? So glad you liked it!
This soup is wonderful!
I made this without the pasta sauce
& it is amazing. Such wonderful flavors, thanks
for sharing.
Brooke, I'm sure Farro would be fine, although I'm not sure it's any lower-glycemic than the whole wheat orzo. But I love farro; sounds good.
Looks great 🙂 Can't wait to pass this on to my clients. I am going to suggest substituting Faro for Orzo as Faro is a whole-grain, lower glycemic choice.
You mentioned this sub should work fine — hope that holds true with Faro!!
Thx for the recipe!
Kathleen, thanks so much. I know a lot of people love The Olive Garden version of this, so I'm thrilled to hear you like mine better.
Kalyn,
I made this yesterday and must say that there is very little left over! My husband loved it and ate two huge bowl fulls. We have only had it at the Olive Garden and I must say we like this version much better.
Susan feel free to add anything you'd like!
Kalyn,
Pasta e fagioli is my favourite and you include it here. I can't have enough of it. I been making this over and over again.
One question here. Can we spice it up?
Thanks Becky! It really was so good.
I need to pick up some whole wheat orzo!! I haven't tried it yet. This recipe sounds perfect for a cool spring day like today!
Robin, my pleasure. Hope you enjoy the soup!
This soup is cooking in the crock pot right now. Looking forward to supper. Sounds yummy.
Thanks for all the great recipes.
Velva, it was such an easy slow cooker recipe. Definitely I'll make this over and over.
I really enjoy pasta e fagioli and make it a couple of times a year. Duh, that it would be awesome in the slow cooker.
Thanks for sharing.
Velva
Rekha, so glad you like it!
The soup looks so good… I love these recipe which are good enough for a complete meal. Going to make some real soon.
Joanne and Lydia, I did love the soup. I think I might have only eaten it at (gasp) The Olive Garden, and this was definitely much better!
What a lovely way to break in your new Ninja! Pasta e fagioli is popular in the Italian neighborhoods in Rhode Island, but in restaurants it's often a bit of a gloppy mess. I love making it at home, where you can cook the pasta until it's done, and not any longer than that.
Pasta e fagioli is one of my favorite soups! It just tastes like total comfort to me! Love this version of it!