Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli

Sharing is caring!

My Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli (also know as Pasta e Fagioli) is a hearty Italian soup made with vegetables, pasta and beans. Once cooked you can serve this soup with a side of your favorite crackers or some crusty bread for a meal the whole family will enjoy.

Slow Cooker Pasta Fagioli

On busy days, particularly through the week, we are all looking at ways to get ahead at mealtimes. That’s when our slow cookers come in very handy. I’ve taken a traditional Italian pasta fagioli recipe and instead of cooking it on the stove top I’ve made it in my slow cooker.

This is the best pasta fagiolo soup recipe as it requires only 10 minutes to prepare everything then you set the slow cooker to low and cook the soup for 8 hours, while you get on with the rest of your day. There is nothing like coming home to a freshly cooked meal at the end of a busy day.

Recipes like this simple soup recipe save us all time and energy and using basic ingredients, that most of you will have in your stores at home, makes this an affordable family dinner too!

Pasta fagioli ingredients

• VEGETABLES: I use a variety of vegetables including a small yellow onion, carrots, celery and garlic to form the base flavors in this soup.
• TOMATOES: I use a 15 ounce can of crushed tomatoes.
• BEANS: for ease I use a 15 ounce can of cannellini beans.
• PASTA: you need small cut pasta, I use cavatelli pasta.
• SEASONING: I season the soup with Italian seasoning.
• BROTH: I’ve used chicken broth in this recipe, but you could also use vegetable broth.
• LEAFY GREENS: I add baby spinach leaves towards the end of the cook and allow to wilt before serving.

How to make Pasta Fagioli in slow cooker

Stir together the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, tomatoes, beans, pasta, and Italian seasoning in the bowl of the slow cooker.

Add the chicken broth and water and stir to mix.

Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours.

When the cook time is up, stir in the spinach and replace the lid.

Continue cooking another 5 to 10 minutes until the spinach is wilted.

Flavor variations

• Add in extra veggies like some diced zucchini or bell peppers.
• I’ve used cannellini beans, but you can use any variety of bean, try adding borlotti beans, kidney beans or black eyed peas.
• Swap the cavatelli pasta I’ve used for pasta ditalini, or small elbow macaroni.
• Replace the spinach with other leafy greens like kale or Swiss chard.
• Add some fresh herbs to the soup like rosemary, parsley, thyme or oregano.
• You can add a touch of chili heat to the soup by stirring through some finely diced red chili, or red pepper flakes.
• Although traditionally a vegetable based soup, you can add some meat to pasta fagioli. Saute some Italian sausage, pancetta or ground beef first and add it to the pot along with the other ingredients.

Serving suggestion

Serve this traditional pasta tagioli soup with your favorite crackers, crusty bread, garlic bread, or a fresh green salad. You can also add some fresh Parmesan cheese over the soup just before serving, adding an extra layer of savory flavor.

If you like to pair some vegetable sides with your soup try my Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Bacon, Roasted Green Beans, or Sheet Pan Roasted Broccoli. 

Recipe hints & tips

• Only add the spinach at the end of the cook and allow it to wilt. Adding it earlier will result in the spinach overcooking and breaking down.
• Taste the soup before serving and add extra seasoning if required. Proper seasoning will make all the difference to the finished dish.

FAQs

Try some of these delicious hearty soup recipes here at When is Dinner

• Lasagne Soup
• Slow Cooker Chicken & Rice Soup
• Ground Beef Vegetable Soup
• Chicken Kale Quinoa Soup
• Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
• Broccoli & Cheese Soup with Chicken & Rice
• Black Eyed Pea Soup