Pasta E Fagioli - Slow Cooker. Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup is loaded with pasta bites, vegetables, beans and lean ground beef making this a rich and hearty Italian soup. A perfect, comforting soup for Fall! Italians know just the way to my heart!

This slow cooker pasta e fagioli starts with a pound of dried pinto beans (great northern beans work well too) and a flavorful broth. The dish can be made with or without meat, and you'll often see American adaptations made with ground beef. We prefer pancetta — the salty, dry cured Italian ham, which gives the broth a rich savoriness. You can have Pasta E Fagioli - Slow Cooker using 15 ingredients and 3 steps. Here is how you achieve it.

Ingredients of Pasta E Fagioli - Slow Cooker

You need 1 tbsp. of olive oil.
You need 1 lb. of ground Italian sausage.
Prepare 1/2 of yellow onion, finely diced.
Prepare 2 of large carrots, peeled and diced.
Prepare 2 stalks of celery, diced.
It's 4 cloves of garlic, minced.
It's 1 can (28 oz.) of unsalted crushed tomatoes.
It's 3 cups of unsalted beef broth.
Prepare 1 can (15 oz.) of unsalted cannellini beans, drained & rinsed.
It's 1 can (15 oz.) of unsalted light red kidney beans, drained & rinsed.
Prepare 1 1/2 tsp. of dried basil.
Prepare 3/4 tsp. of salt.
Prepare 1/2 tsp. of each dried oregano, pepper.
Prepare 1 cup of ditalini pasta.
Prepare 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese + more for topping.

I love this slow cooker because it cooks evenly and low. I also love this slow cooker because it has a neat timer with satisfying beeping buttons as well as a medium setting for those days where you start your slow cooker at an in-between time. Regardless of the correct pronunciation, this Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli needs to be on your dinner menu this winter. It's chock-full of beans, tomatoes, veggies, pasta and beef.

Pasta E Fagioli - Slow Cooker instructions

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once it's hot, add the sausage and cook until its browned throughout, breaking it up as you go. Once its browned, place it on a towel lined plate to drain off some of the grease and set it aside..
Grease your slow cooker, then add the sausage, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rinsed beans, crushed tomatoes, broth and seasonings. Give it all a good stir, then pop the lid on and set the heat to low for 5-6 hours..
Once the soup is ready to eat, heat a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the ditalini pasta according to package directions, then drain and stir it along with the 1/2 cup grated parmesan into the soup. Then taste the soup and add any additional seasonings you think it needs. That's it!.

This is going to take minimal prep in the morning. Brown the ground beef, drain the fat, then add the beef and the rest of the ingredients to the crock pot. Variation ideas: Meat: Use Italian sausage in place of the ground beef.; Vegetarian Pasta e Fagioli: Replace the ground beef with an extra can (or two) of beans and use vegetable stock in place of beef stock. Swap the pasta: This recipe calls for ditalini (a tiny, tube-shaped pasta), so when substituting other macaroni, stick to a smaller shape like orzo, orecchiette. What a great slow cooker recipe.