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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
Ingredients
For the Pasta
- 4 cups Water
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
- 1 cup Ditalini Pasta (4 oz) or orzo, macaroni, etc.
For the Soup
- 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.
To Finish
- 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)
Instructions
Cook the Pasta*
- Add water, salt, and oil to the Instant Pot inner liner.
- Press the Sauté button and let the water heat up. When the water starts to simmer, add the pasta and stir.
- Close the lid and set the steam release Knob to the Sealing position.
- Press the Pressure Cook (or Manual) button and the +/- button or dial to choose 4 minutes. Choose High pressure.
- When the cook cycle is done and the pot beeps, do a quick release of the pressure.
- 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).
Make the Soup
- Press the Sauté button and let the pot start warming up.
- 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.
- Add the olive oil to the pot and the onion. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until just starting to turn translucent.
- Add sausage and red pepper and cook, breaking up the meat, until done.
- Add the Italian seasoning, black pepper, garlic, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
- 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.
- Press the Cancel button to turn off the Sauté mode. Put the lid on and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
- Press the Pressure Cook (or Manual) button and the +/- button or dial to choose 7 minutes. High pressure.
- 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.
- Add the reserved pasta, parsley, parmesan cheese, and basil. Stir well and let sit for a few minutes before serving.
- Garnish with more parmesan cheese and serve.
Notes
Inspired by "My Italian Cottage" Kirkland Neighborhood Italian Cookbook, 1987.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Resources to Make Instant Pot Pasta Fagioli
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This is still my family’s favorite recipe for the instant pot. Love it!
Can I make this with ground beef?
Yes!
Wow! Really, really good! Everything was spot on; didn’t have to fiddle with anything. Only thing I did differently was cook the orzo separately. I didn’t add the fresh herbs, either, just the Italian seasoning. I will be making this a lot! 🙂
That’s great, Julie! Thank you.
Hi Sandy, this recipe looks awesome! Do you think you could use dried rosemary and thyme? If so how much would you use? Thank you
Hi Julie, for the thyme, I would use 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. I haven’t tried it with dry rosemary, but maybe try using 1/2 tsp.
Thank you for getting back to me! I will definitely try this recipe! Thanks
Oh my! This is great soup!! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. Hubby and I just gobbled up a bowl of it. First time I’ve ever given a review on recipe and this one deserves rave reviews.
Thank you, Judy! I’m very glad you and the hubby enjoyed this soup! I really do appreciate your review!
This recipe was DELICIOUS! I do need to comment that the prep time & cook times are inaccurate. From start to finish it took me 2-1/2 hrs. That said, this recipe is SO good, that the time is totally worth it. Thank you for the recipe, Sandy Clifton!
Pasta Fagioli has always been a family favorite. This is the first time I’ve made it with Italian (turkey) sausage as I’ve always used ground beef. I may use Italian pork sausage next time to see if it adds more flavor. I also used Real Bacon Bits to save myself some time. Loved this soup and my husband did as well. It’s a keeper and I’m including it in the IP recipe binder I’m creating for my college son when I give him an IP mini for Christmas.
That’s such a great idea, Roslyn! I think the IP would be a perfect appliance for him. The sausage really does add flavor.
this looks so great and hearty would make a great meal
If I double the recipe, will my 8 quart instant be able to handle it? Always like to have extra to freeze!
I think so, just do a longer natural release.
It is too much to double. I doubled it up to where you add the beans, tomatoes and broth and then I removed half of the meat and veggie mixture then added the ingredients for 1 batch. After we ate it, I just cooked the other batch. Super easy and it wasn’t too much for my 8 qt ip this way.
Did exactly the same!
Still cold in northern NY. So this is going to be our dinner tonight. I love soup and this looks awesome.
Hi Ellen, you folks in the East sure got cold this year! I hope this soup warms you up! It’s a favorite around here.