Description
Make a simplified version of slow cooker pasta e fagioli, an Olive Garden favorite, right at home! Ground beef, pasta, and beans cooked for hours in a rich, savory broth smell just as good as it tastes!
Ingredients
Ground Beef:
1 pound lean ground beef
Vegetables:
2 medium carrots, 3 medium celery stalks, 1 medium onion
Canned Ingredients:
28 ounces crushed tomatoes, 32 ounces beef broth, 15 ounces white cannellini beans, 15 ounces dark red kidney beans
Seasonings:
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
Pasta:
1 cup ditalini pasta
Instructions
- Brown the Ground Beef: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it apart as it cooks, until no longer pink.
- Combine Ingredients in Slow Cooker: To a 6-quart slow cooker, add the cooked ground beef, carrots, celery, onion, tomatoes, beef broth, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, cannellini beans, and kidney beans.
- Cook in Slow Cooker: Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.
- Add Pasta: 30 minutes before the cook time is up, stir in the uncooked pasta. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
- Adjust Seasoning: Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.
- Serve: Serve in bowls topped with Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- I recommend using a lean ground beef, like sirloin (93/7 or 90/10).
- Baby spinach or kale can be stirred in at the same time as the pasta for added veggies.
- Italian sausage can be used in place of the ground beef.
- Two 14.5-ounce cans of beef broth can be used, or one 32-ounce carton.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Every slow cooker runs differently. Times given are a general recommendation and should be tested in your own slow cooker and adjusted as needed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 337 kcal
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 898mg
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 10g
- Protein: 27g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
