Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli
Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli! A really simple, hearty meal that is perfect for your crock pot!
When we were in college, a friend came to live with Mr. Maebell and me for a few months. This meant two very big and always hungry young men would now be my responsibility to feed. I knew the grocery bill would get a little higher, but I had no idea how much one extra person would impact our meals.
I cooked a big dinner the first night he arrived, and both boys cleaned their plates. Then our friend ordered a pizza and ate the whole thing, too.
Yep, an entire dinner and then a whole pizza. I sat in the living room watching him devour his second dinner, and I seriously wondered how in the world I would feed them. At that point, I knew I had to get a little creative to make this work.
Ingredients
This soup has very basic ingredients, most of which you might already have on hand. That is the great thing about this recipe: it is packed with basic pantry and freezer staples you probably already have on hand!
- Beans: canned Kidney Beans and Cannellini Beans
- Diced Tomatoes: fire roasted or garlic and herb are great options as well.
- Ground Beef: this is also excellent with Italian sausage.
- Vegetables: Frozen Onions, Peppers and Celery
- Marinara: use your favorite variety.
- Broth or Stock: beef, chicken or vegetable
- Elbow Noodles: if you are gluten free I have tested this recipe with Barilla gluten free and they were perfect.
How do you make Crock Pot Pasta Fagioli Soup?
This is such an easy dish to throw together. Let me walk you through it!
- Brown the ground beef, drain the beef and set it aside.
- In a slow cooker, add the Kidney Beans, Cannellini Beans, undrained diced tomatoes, ground beef, frozen vegetables, marinara, and stock.
- Stir the mixture, secure the lid, and set the slow cooker to cook on low for 6 hours.
- When ready to serve, remove the lid, stir in the elbow noodles, and allow them to cook for 10-15 minutes. When the noodles are tender, serve!
Storage and Reheating
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container up to 5 days.
- When ready to reheat, warm in 30-second increments until cooked through.
- If prepping for a freezer meal, place all ingredients except the broth and elbow noodles in a freezer-safe bag. When ready to cook, add the frozen ingredients to a slow cooker with a broth of your choice. Cook according to the recipe directions.
Variations
- Meat: this will work well with ground turkey or Italian sausage.
- Beans: if you prefer not to use a mix, you can just use one or the other. While not traditional I have made this soup with chickpeas when I was in a pinch and it was lovely.
- Vegetables: to make this extra simple I used a bag of frozen vegetables, but of course you can use fresh if you have them on hand.
Other Soup Recipes
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef, browned and grease drained
- 1 15 ounce can Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15 ounce can Cannelloni Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 10 ounce bag of frozen bell pepper, onion and celery
- 1 24 ounce jar marinara sauce
- 1 32 ounce carton of chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 cup uncooked gluten free elbow noodles
Instructions
- Add the drained and rinsed beans to your crock pot with the undrained can of tomatoes.
- Add browned ground beef, frozen veggies, pasta sauce, and chicken stock to the slow cooker. Stir well and let simmer on low for 6-8 hours.
- Before serving add the uncooked noodles and stir well. Let the noodles cook for 15 minutes in the soup or until tender.
- Serve immediately.
This looks totally delicious! i love the idea of pasta in my first course (AND in my second, perhaps?) so this soup has always ben a personal fave of mine 🙂
I’m amazed at how much guys can eat. I joke that Shawn is a bottomless pit! His brother is even worse. He played football in college, and when he was in training, he would eat like a billion calories a day. I watched him eat 2 full racks of ribs before. 2! This soup looks delicious!
My boys are like that guest you had — they’re eating me out of house and home! This soup is so hearty it would definitely satisfy!
This looks like such a filling soup! I love all of those hearty beans in it! This could feed my hungry guy too!
I’ve made this before! It was delicious! I was wondering how many weight watchers points it is?
Hi Nancy, I’m so glad you liked it! I’m sorry I have no idea how many points this would be.
How do men do it? Then they look like sticks and gain no weight. It’s not fair!! 🙂 Love this soup, sounds delish and now I want soup weather!
I’m all about this. Totally trying it this winter! And finding hungry people to share with 🙂
Haha… was that friend my husband?! Seriously, he eats me out of house and home. I’ll have to try this! I love huge crock pot meals and it looks so yummy!
Haha, that is hilarious!! I know a few guys who can just eat and eat and eat. It always amazes me! This pasta fagioli looks like a great way to make a big meal without having to work too hard 🙂
I love that it’s slow cooker season again! This looks amazing, Annie!
Hehe I always wonder the same!!! I am always jealous how men could eat all they want and not gain a single pound!! So unfair! This soup looks amazing Annie!
Oh my goodness, this looks absolutely delish! Pasta Fagioli is one of my very favorite soups, but your slow cooker version sounds so much more doable, especially with all the craziness of fall and winter! Pinning to definitely try SOON!!
Pasta e fogioli is one of my favorite soups! Love that you can make it in the slow cooker! Can’t wait to try this!
I can’t find the frozen veggies. Can I use fresh? How much would I use of each one?
Thanks so much…this looks soooo delicious!
Hi Tammy! Sure fresh would work just fine! I would estimate about half a cup of each of the bell pepper, onion and celery. I hope you enjoy!! 🙂
This recipe turned out fantastic! It was super easy and we loved it. I browned the meat and put everything in the crock pot in the morning. I realized too late that I didn’t have the frozen veggies, but I had fresh. Since the recipe states a 10 oz bag of onions, celery and bell pepper I just used equal amounts up to 10 oz. When I got home after work, I added some fresh oregano and basil (since I have them in the garden) and I also added a little red pepper flake to add a little spice. I used the salad macaroni (like they have at Olive Garden) instead of elbows. Since they weren’t as large as elbow, I added 1 1/2 cups. I wouldn’t add any more than that. It was easy and absolutely perfect. I’ll definitely be doing it again.
Kathy you made my day! I am so glad you enjoyed this! It sounds perfect with those fresh herbs!! 🙂
I am all about my slow cooker right now and I’m always all about pasta fagioli! it blows my mind that you made this in the slow cooker… I must try it!
Haha I am always surprised at how much boys can eat. My 5 year old and husband are ALWAYS hungry lol. A yummy jam-packed soup is just perfect for filling them up! Love how easy it is too!
Oh maaaaan, this cozy food is exactly what I’m craving today! Love that everything just gets dumped in the crockpot and you can forget about it!
This is such a hearty meal and guaranteed to feed hungry men — I have 3 now and I can barely keep up! I’m making this soon Annie — I think it will be a hit!
Do you think I could substitute ground chicken and chicken stock?
Thank you!
Hi Jan, I think that would be just fine.