Warm and comforting, this Crock Pot Pasta Fagioli is the perfect meal to enjoy on a chilly day. This Italian soup comes together easily with the help of your slow cooker and is packed with flavor. Whether you're looking for an easy weeknight meal or a comforting dish to warm up with, try making this easy slow cooker soup!
We promise this slow cooker pasta Fagioli is easier to cook than it is to pronounce! Pasta Fagioli, pronounced "pasta fazool," is a traditional Italian soup made with beans, pasta, and vegetables. And even though it's simple, it has a warm and comforting flavor that keeps you coming back for more.
Soup can take a long time to cook, especially if you have to watch the pot. But, making soup in the slow cooker is easy because you can set it and forget it! This leaves you time to get to work so you can come back to a fully cooked meal that is healthy and satisfying.
This easy pasta Fagioli crock pot recipe comes together easily. Just pre-cook the bacon and vegetables in a skillet. Then, add the rest of the ingredients and let it slow cook to perfection!
Serve it with a toasted piece of Italian bread or alongside a green salad for lunch. No matter how you enjoy it, this crock pot soup will quickly become a family favorite!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No need to head to your nearest Olive Garden to enjoy the taste of this delicious soup!
- The ingredients are simple and budget-friendly.
- It's great for meal prep and tastes even better the next day.
- You can customize it by adding your favorite seasonings, beans, and vegetables.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Bacon - Adds a smoky layer of flavor to the soup along with salty flavor.
- Soup Vegetables - A mirepoix of diced carrots, celery, garlic, and onion is the best way to add aromatics to this classic Italian Soup.
- Dried Seasonings - A mix of salt, pepper, thyme, basil, and parsley enhances the dish's flavor by adding Italian herbs and seasonings.
- Crushed Tomatoes - Gives the soup its classic tomato flavor along with red coloring that pairs well with the rest of the ingredients.
- Cannelini Beans - Adds texture and structure to the soup along with protein and fiber for nutrient density.
- Low Sodium Chicken Broth & Water - Gives the soup depth and consistency and soaks up all of the delicious flavors.
- Ditalini Pasta - This particular pasta shape is perfect for this soup because it is small and cooks evenly.
- Parmesan Reggiano - Adds delicious salty cheese flavor to the soup when used as a garnish on top or stirred inside.
How To Make Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli
Cook the bacon: Add the bacon to a large skillet over medium heat. Saute until cooked and crispy. Drain the fat and slice it into pieces. Add to the slow cooker.
Assemble the soup: To the slow cooker, add the onions, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, basil, parsley, tomatoes, beans, chicken broth, and water. Stir until fully combined.
Cover and cook: Add the lid and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours. 30 minutes before serving, add the pasta and stir in until fully cooked.
Garnish and serve: Ladle the hot soup into bowls and top with parmesan cheese for garnish. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Drain the bacon fat from the cooked bacon before adding it to the crock pot, as excess bacon grease will make the soup oily.
- Also, ensure the cannellini beans are well drained and rinsed to avoid a gritty texture in the soup.
- This recipe can easily be doubled to feed a larger crowd or to have leftovers for another day! Just use a larger slow cooker.
- The time it takes for the pasta to fully cook will depend on how hot your slow cooker gets and how large the pasta is. Start checking after the minimum cook time has passed to avoid overcooking. If the pasta is not cooked enough, you can always finish cooking it on the stovetop with a little bit of broth or water.
Variations
- If you want a creamier pasta Fagioli, stir in some milk or half and half before serving.
- Add additional protein to the dish by stirring in cooked ground beef, Italian sausage, or ground turkey.
- Use a mix of white kidney beans, black beans, or chickpeas for more variety.
- For added veggies, mix in some frozen spinach or kale when you add the pasta.
- If you don't have ditalini pasta on hand, any small pasta shape will work, including shells, elbow macaroni, or mini farfalle.
- Add a kick of heat by stirring in some crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
- Make vegetarian pasta Fagioli by omitting the bacon completely.
Storing
Storing: Transfer cooled leftover soup into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to five days.
Freezing: Let the soup cool completely, then transfer into a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to three months. When ready to eat, thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Reheating: To reheat, add the desired amount of soup to a pot on the stove over medium heat. Stir until warmed through. You may need to add a splash of water or chicken broth if the soup is too thick. Alternatively, reheat individual bowls in the microwave for about two minutes.
FAQ
Minestrone is a thick Italian soup that typically contains vegetables, beans, and pasta in a tomato broth. Pasta fazool, on the other hand, is a thinner soup with more broth that contains pasta and beans but little to no vegetables.
Yes, there is bacon in this soup recipe, but you can omit it if you'd like to make it vegetarian or vegan without the parmesan cheese.
Fagioli is the Italian word for beans. So, this soup translates to "pasta and beans."
More Easy Slow Cooker Soup Recipes
- Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup
- Crock Pot Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Crock-Pot Taco Soup
- Creamy Slow Cooker Spinach Tomato Sausage Tortellini Soup
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Crock Pot Pasta Fagioli
Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon (cooked, drained, and finely sliced)
- 1 large yellow onion (diced)
- 1 cup carrots (thinly sliced)
- ¾ cup celery (diced)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1½ tsp black pepper
- 4 tsp garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- 2 (15 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
- 2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 6 cups water
- 1 (16 oz) box of ditalini pasta (uncooked)
- 1 cup Parmesan Reggiano
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Drain and slice and add to the slow cooker.
- Add onions, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, basil, parsley, tomatoes, beans, chicken broth, and water. Stir until combined.
- Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Thirty minutes before serving, stir and pasta.
- Sprinkle Parmesan Reggiano cheese on top when serving, and enjoy!
Nutrition
*All nutrition information provided is automatically calculated and is an estimate and will vary based on ingredients, brands, and changes in cooking methods listed in the recipe. If you need exact numbers on your ingredients, I would recommend calculating them with your prefered nutrition calculator.
Robbi
do I cook the pasta before adding it to the crockpot?
Ryan Allen
You add the uncooked pasta 30 minutes before the cook time is done.