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Crock Pot Pasta Fagioli

Crock Pot Pasta Fagioli is a hearty Italian-American bean soup with tender vegetables and melded red broth. Slow-cooked ground beef, cannellini beans, and crushed tomatoes turn rich and thick, then ditalini is stirred in right before serving for the right bite.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours
Total Time 7 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 480
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Meat base
  • 1 lb ground beef or mild Italian sausage
Vegetables
  • 1 onion Dice for even tenderness.
  • 4 garlic Minced.
  • 3 celery Diced.
  • 2 carrots Diced.
Beans and tomatoes
  • 2 can (15 oz) cannellini beans Drained and rinsed.
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
Broth and seasonings
  • 4 cup beef broth
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 0.5 tsp dried thyme
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper
Pasta and garnish
  • 8 oz ditalini pasta Cook separately; stir in at serving time.
  • 1 fresh parsley Chopped, for garnish.
  • 1 freshly grated Parmesan For garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the meat
  1. Brown ground beef or mild Italian sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat, then drain excess fat. Transfer the browned meat to the slow cooker with no visible pooling grease.
Build the soup
  1. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrots, cannellini beans, crushed tomatoes, beef broth, dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper to the slow cooker. Stir to combine all ingredients until evenly distributed and no dry seasoning remains.
Slow cook until tender
  1. Cook on low for 7–8 hours or on high for 3.5–4 hours until vegetables are very tender and flavors have melded. The broth should look cohesive with softened vegetables and a deep red tone.
Finish and serve
  1. Stir in cooked ditalini pasta just before serving. Spoon into bowls and top with fresh parsley and freshly grated Parmesan.

Notes

For the best texture, cook the ditalini separately and add it right at serving so it doesn’t absorb too much broth. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat gently until hot throughout. Freezing is not recommended because pasta can turn soft after thawing. For a lighter option, swap the ground beef for mild turkey sausage while keeping the same seasonings.