You’ll love, love, love this rich, hearty, fiber-packed soup! It tastes very similar to the Pasta e Fagioli at Olive Garden. It’s one of the lowest-fat items on the Olive Garden menu, with 2.5 of fat per serving. My recipe actually contains more calories than theirs does because I’ve added more beans and veggies. Each 1-cup serving has 156 calories, 2 grams fat, and 6 grams of fiber. So flavorful, this recipe makes a TON of soup to stock your freezer with. It’s great as a first course or makes the serving size 1½ to 2 cups and it becomes a very filling main-course soup. You’ll want to add this satisfying dish to your soup repertoire. It’s a keeper for sure!
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey, see shopping tips
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 cups onions, chopped
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 4 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (28oz) can tomatoes, diced
- 1 (16 oz) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (16 oz) can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (16 oz) can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
- 3 (10oz) cans reduced-sodium beef broth
- 1 (24 oz) jar marinara or pasta sauce, I used Prego’s Heart Smart pasta sauce
- ½ cup water
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- Fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 6 ounces whole-wheat penne pasta
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Brown beef in a large nonstick soup pot. Drain in a colander in sink.
- In the same pot, heat olive oil. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir often.
- Add drained beef back to pot. Stir in canned tomatoes, beans, beef broth, pasta sauce, zucchini, water, Italian seasonings, and pepper.
- Bring soup up to a boil. Turn heat to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 50 minutes.
- Add pasta to soup. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes longer until pasta is ready. If you like a thinner soup, just add another ½ cup water or so.
- Ladle soup into a small bowl or cup. Top with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
- This soup freezes great!
Notes
Healthy Benefits
Beans are loaded with protein and fiber. They actually contain a wider variety of healthy nutrients than most foods. These include calcium, potassium, vitamin B6, magnesium, folate, and alpha-linolenic acid. Just by browning the beef and draining the fat before adding it to the soup, you’ll cut way down on the fat. It’s a simple prep tip that makes browning any type of meat healthier.
Shopping Tips
Look for the leanest ground beef in your supermarket. I bought mine at Trader Joe’s.
Storage Tips
Freeze leftover soup in pint-size containers. Stores like Smart and Final sell deli-style plastic containers that are perfect to freeze in. They’re very reasonably priced.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 5-Blue
WW SmartPoints 5-Green
WW POINTS PLUS 4
Beans are loaded with protein and fiber. They actually contain a wider variety of healthy nutrients than most foods. These include calcium, potassium, vitamin B6, magnesium, folate, and alpha-linolenic acid. Just by browning the beef and draining the fat before adding it to the soup, you’ll cut way down on the fat. It’s a simple prep tip that makes browning any type of meat healthier.
Shopping Tips
Look for the leanest ground beef in your supermarket. I bought mine at Trader Joe’s.
Storage Tips
Freeze leftover soup in pint-size containers. Stores like Smart and Final sell deli-style plastic containers that are perfect to freeze in. They’re very reasonably priced.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 5-Blue
WW SmartPoints 5-Green
WW POINTS PLUS 4
| SKINNY FACTS: for 1 cup (not including cheese) 156 calories, 2g fat, 1g sat. fat, 12mg chol, 12g protein, 25g carbs, 6g fiber, 438mg sodium, 6g sugar |
| FACTS: for 1 serving Olive Gardens Pasta E. Fagioli 130 calories, 2.5g fat, 17g carbs, 6g fiber, 680g sodium, 6g sugar |
Skinny Facts
Serving: 1cupCalories: 156kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 12gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 438mgFiber: 6gSugar: 6gBlue Smart Points: 5Green Smart Points: 5Plus Points: 4
A wonderful, hearty soup. Use a SOUP POT – mid-stream I had to swap out my 6-quart dutch oven LOL. That just means there’s plenty for more meals. The joke in our family: my husband will rave over a meal and I’ll respond with “It’s a…” and he’ll interrupt, “I know – a Nancy Fox recipe.” Thank you for blessing our household with delicious recipes suited to both my husband who needs low fat and me, needing lower sodium plus Weight Watchers.
Oh my goodness this is the nicest message, Pat. Thank you sooo much for making my day!
Wishing you both all the very best,
Nancy
Is it really THREE CUPS of Onions?
Yes, Marcia, this recipe is made with 3 cups of onions but it makes a huge pot of soup. The onions really add much flavor but are not overbearing at all. That said, you can cut down the amount to your liking. It will still taste wonderful!
All the best,
Nancy