Instant Pot Pasta E Fagioli, which means "Pasta and Beans", is a hearty peasant style soup that is a traditional Italian one-pot meal. Pressure cooker Pasta Fagioli soup has sausage, and can be made without as well. Make this Olive Garden copycat Pasta Fagioli in the Instant Pot as a budget friendly meal that tastes delicious!
Originally published 10/16/2017
Instant Pot Pasta e Fagioli
We are heading into Fall, and I'm starting to see the trees change colors. It's really beautiful!
With that change comes the cold! We really felt it this morning, so I decided a hearty pot of pressure cooker Pasta E Fagioli was going to me our midday meal. I have wanted to tell you about this soup, so today is my chance!
How often do you combine pasta and beans? Me either. I just don't usually think of it. It's either going to be a pasta dish, or a bean dish. But if you think about it, we do combine rice and beans, so why not!
The Italians sure know what's up! This soup has so many wonderful, yet simple ingredients. It might seem a little intimidating because the list is long, but it's really easy!
I like to cook the pasta first, and then make the rest of the soup. I tried this a few different ways, but this yielded the results I like. I can control the pasta's doneness so it doesn't end up overcooked.
You could also add the pasta after pressure cooking and use the sauté setting to cook it.
Since you need to let large pots of soup naturally release pressure, the pasta would be mush if it was in from the beginning of the soup's cook time. No one wants that!
I hope you enjoy the Fall season, wherever you live, and enjoy this Instant Pot Pasta e Fagioli! Ciao!
Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana (Sausage Potato Soup)
Instant Pot Creamy Tortellini Soup
Sandy's Instant Pot Beef Stew
Instant Pot Ham Hock and Bean Soup
If you make this yummy pressure cooker Pasta Fagioli, please leave a comment and a star rating below. I'd love to know how you liked it!
Instant Pot Pasta E Fagioli is a hearty peasant style soup that has beans, sausage, pasta, and a rich broth. Budget friendly and delicious!
- 4 cups Water
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
- 1 cup Ditalini Pasta (4 oz) or orzo, macaroni, etc.
- 4 Slices of Bacon (4 oz weighed) chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Size Onion, chopped
- 1 lb Italian Sausage (ground)
- 1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 5 Garlic Cloves, (pressed or finely minced)
- 2 Stalks Celery, diced
- 1 Large Carrot, diced
- (1) 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes (with liquid)
- (1) 15 oz can Tomato Sauce
- (1) 15.5 oz can Cannellini Beans (drained & rinsed)
- (1) 15.25 oz can Red Kidney Beans (drained & rinsed)
- (1) 15.5 oz can Garbanzo Beans (drained & rinsed)
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 4 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme (each sprig with 3 or 4 stems)
- 1 Sprig of Fresh Rosemary
- 3 cups Chicken Broth (low sodium) Use 4 cups for more soup like consistency.
- ¼ cup Flat Leaf Italian Parsley (finely chopped)
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese (grated) plus more for garnish
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped (or to taste)
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Add water, salt, and oil to the Instant Pot inner liner.
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Press the Sauté button and let the water heat up. When the water starts to simmer, add the pasta and stir.
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Close the lid and set the steam release Knob to the Sealing position.
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Press the Pressure Cook (or Manual) button and the +/- button or dial to choose 4 minutes. Choose High pressure.
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When the cook cycle is done and the pot beeps, do a quick release of the pressure.
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After all of the steam is out and the pin in the lid drops, open pot and drain the pasta in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the pasta from cooking further, and then set it aside (make sure it is completely cooled).
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Press the Sauté button and let the pot start warming up.
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Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until done. Remove and set aside. Keep 1 Tablespoon of the bacon grease in the pot, discard any remaining.
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Add the olive oil to the pot and the onion. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until just starting to turn translucent.
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Add sausage and red pepper and cook, breaking up the meat, until done.
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Add the Italian seasoning, black pepper, garlic, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
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Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, all of the beans, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, reserved bacon, and chicken broth. Stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot to get up any browned bits.
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Press the Cancel button to turn off the Sauté mode. Put the lid on and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
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Press the Pressure Cook (or Manual) button and the +/- button or dial to choose 7 minutes. High pressure.
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When the cook cycle is done and the pot beeps, let the pot sit undisturbed for 15 minutes (15 minute Natural Release), then do a quick release of the remaining pressure. After all of the steam is out and the pin in the lid drops, open and stir the soup.
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Add the reserved pasta, parsley, parmesan cheese, and basil. Stir well and let sit for a few minutes before serving.
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Garnish with more parmesan cheese and serve.
*If you don't want to cook your pasta first, you can add it after pressure cooking and use the sauté setting to cook it. Or cook it on the stove while the soup is cooking.
This recipe works best in an 6 or 8 qt pot.
Inspired by "My Italian Cottage" Kirkland Neighborhood Italian Cookbook, 1987.
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Resources to Make Instant Pot Pasta Fagioli
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Kathy
I found this recipe and it brought back good memories of my mother making this for us kids, so I pinned it. Today I had a pound of venison sausage that had to be used and looked through my recipes and since this one used red pepper flakes, I thought that my medium sausage would work. I followed the recipe to the letter , just omitting the red pepper and OMG! Soooo delicious. Anyone who would like to try this recipe with a hotter sausage wouldn’t be disappointed. Thanks for the great recipe, it will be staying in my favorites category ❤️
Vicki
Would it be okay with you if I posted your Instant Pot Pasta e Fagioli on WW blog so my friends there can enjoy it as much as I do. It is very WW friendly with vegetables, beans, tomatoes and you can make it with substitutions for different types of bacon or sausage to lower haft content. Thanks for all your wonderful Simply Happy Foodie recipes. I enjoy them all.
Sandy
Yes, you can post the link only. So glad you like this recipe!
Tim Dutton
Amazing recipe and it cooks up just like it says. I have Italian grandparents and this tastes just like theirs did. It’s a little different with the sausage and garbanzo beans but it’s great. Very hearty meal for a cold winter day.
amy
My family absolutely loves this recipe. No changes needed. Beware, do not double this recipe. The original recipe fills the instant pot.
Carla
I've been making this for a few years now and I love it. I'm back here on the site because my recipe needs reprinting since I use it so often. This version of pasta fagioli is different than most Italians make but I like the addition of all the ingredients especially the sausage and 3 different kinds of beans. This recipe feeds many or in my case it serves up several lunches during the week. You won't be disappointed in this hearty and very delicious meal.