Dinner

Pasta Fagioli

The Olive Garden copycat, made in the Instant Pot. Italian sausage browned with onion, garlic, carrot, and celery, then two kinds of beans, ditalini, and tomatoes pressure-cooked in a well-seasoned chicken stock. Hearty, cozy, and on the table in about 30 minutes — and it honestly tastes even better than the restaurant version. Serve it the second it’s done, with parmesan, parsley, and a drizzle of good olive oil. (Adapted from the Foodies Terminal recipe shared by Meghna Chakraborty.)

Ingredients

• 1 lb Italian pork sausage, mild or hot (or half sausage, half ground beef)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup onion, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup carrot, roughly cubed
• 3/4 cup celery, roughly chopped (about 2 stalks)
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 14 oz canned diced tomatoes, with juices (basil, oregano & garlic style if you can get it)
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato paste, loosened with about 4 tbsp water
• 15 oz kidney beans, drained & rinsed
• 15 oz Great Northern beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 cup ditalini pasta (small elbows or shells work too)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (skip if you don’t want the heat)
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• Salt, to taste
• To serve: grated parmesan, chopped fresh parsley, extra virgin olive oil

Steps

1. Brown the sausage: Set the Instant Pot to Sauté on HIGH. Add the olive oil, then the sausage. Cook, breaking it into crumbles and stirring often, until nicely browned. Leave the drippings in the pot — that’s flavor.
2. Sauté the aromatics: Add the onion and garlic; cook about 1 minute. Add the carrot and celery; cook 1 minute more.
3. Deglaze & season: Pour in the chicken stock and scrape the bottom and sides of the pot really well (this prevents the BURN warning). Stir in the paprika, Italian seasoning, oregano, black pepper, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, and salt.
4. Add the rest: Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, both beans, and the ditalini. Stir everything together.
5. Pressure cook: Cancel Sauté, seal the lid and valve, and pressure cook on HIGH for just 4 minutes. When it beeps, do a quick pressure release and open the lid carefully.
6. Serve now: Stir, taste, and adjust salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and finish with parmesan, parsley, crushed black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately — the pasta keeps soaking up broth and goes mushy if it sits.

Dad tip: freezing leftovers? Leave the pasta out and stir in freshly cooked ditalini when you reheat — frozen pasta in soup turns to mush.

▶See the original recipe

Recipe adapted from Foodies Terminal’s Olive Garden Copycat Pasta e Fagioli (Instant Pot), shared by Meghna Chakraborty in the Instant Pot 101 for Beginners Facebook group — original post. Protein and calorie figures are estimates.