Pasta Fagioli

By Maria Lichty

Published on January 20, 2023

View RecipePin Recipe4.7100

I was in the mood for major comfort food so I made a big pot of Pasta Fagioli. It’s the ultimate comforting meal.

Pasta Fagioli (Pasta e Fagioli) means “pasta and beans”, and is a traditional Italian soup. It is made with tomatoes, vegetables, beans, herbs, and pasta. Basically all of my favorites in one pot!

It is 100% cozy and the perfect recipe for fall, winter, or whenever you are craving classic comfort food.

I also love this recipe because it’s an easy weeknight dinner. You only need one pot and the entire family loves it, including the kids, especially when garlic bread is served on the side. Major win!

Ingredients

• Olive oil– for sautéing the veggies.
• Onion, Carrot, Celery, and Garlic– the classic base to any good soup.
• Bay leaves– remove before serving!
• Diced tomatoes– use canned tomatoes, do not drain!
• Vegetable broth– chicken broth will work too.
• Cannellini beans– rinse and drain the beans. You can also use navy beans or great northern beans.
• Parmesan rind– the rind is the secret to bringing out the BEST flavor. You can buy parmesan rinds at the cheese counter or save your parmesan rinds and keep them in the freezer. They are great for adding flavor to soups and sauces.
• Herbs– dried thyme, basil, and rosemary.
• Crushed red pepper– for a little heat.
• Pasta– use dried ditalini or other small pasta
• Fresh parsley– stir in at the end!
• Grated Parmesan– for garnish!

How to Make Pasta Fagioli

• In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Stir in the bay leaves.
• Add the tomatoes, vegetable broth, beans, and parmesan rind. Stir in the thyme, basil, rosemary, and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and black pepper. Let simmer on low for about 15 minutes.
• Stir in the pasta and turn up the heat to medium. Cook until pasta is tender, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Remove the bay leaves and parmesan rind.
• Ladle into bowls and serve with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Helpful Tips

• There are a lot of variations of pasta e fagioli, the main requirement is pasta and beans. This is a vegetarian pasta fagioli recipe, but meat lovers enjoy it too. It is so filling.
• If you want to add sausage or ground beef, you certainly can.
• For the pasta, we use ditalini pasta. If you can’t find ditalini pasta, use another small pasta such as elbow macaroni. If you need the recipe to be gluten-free, use gluten free pasta.
• Make sure you use a good brand of canned tomatoes for the best flavor. You can also use fire roasted tomatoes if you want a little extra flavor.
• This is a very thick soup, more stew like. If you want more of a liquid soup, you can add more broth, but we like it thick.
• If you want to add some greens, feel free to stir in fresh spinach or kale.

Serving Suggestions

• Garlic Bread or Crusty Bread
• Bruschetta
• Easy Green Salad
• Simple Kale Salad
• Simple Arugula Salad
• Caprese Salad

How to Store

I always love having leftovers of this soup because I think the soup tastes even better ton the second day.

• To store in the fridge, let the soup cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for up to five days. You can reheat the soup in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop. If the soup is too thick, add more vegetable broth.
• To freeze, you can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. The pasta might break down a little after thawing and reheating. If you know you are going to freeze the recipe, you can leave the pasta out and add it after thawing and reheating. Just cook the pasta and stir it in.

More Soup Recipes

• Easy Minestrone Soup
• Vegetable Soup
• Lentil Soup
• Easy Black Bean Soup
• Tomato Basil Soup
• White Bean Soup
• Potato Leek Soup

Want more soup recipes? Find all of our SOUP RECIPES HERE!

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Soup

Pasta Fagioli

This easy one pot meal is the perfect weeknight dinner. Serve with crusty bread or garlic bread.

4.70 from 97 votes

PrintSave RecipeReview

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion,  chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans vegetable broth
• 2 (14 oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 small parmesan rind
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• Dash of crushed red pepper
• 1 cup dried ditalini or other small pasta
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Grated Parmesan cheese for serving, optional

Instructions

 

• In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Stir in the bay leaves.
• Add the tomatoes, vegetable broth, beans, and parmesan rind. Stir in the thyme, basil, rosemary, and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and black pepper. Let simmer on low for about 15 minutes.
• Stir in the pasta and turn up the heat to medium. Cook until pasta is tender, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Remove the bay leaves and parmesan rind.
• Ladle into bowls and serve with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Notes

For gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta. We like to serve the soup with crusty bread or garlic bread. If you need the recipe to be vegan or dairy-free, you can leave out the Parmesan cheese. 

Nutrition

Calories: 195kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 5g, Sodium: 305mg, Potassium: 514mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 1940IU, Vitamin C: 21.5mg, Calcium: 87mg, Iron: 2.8mg

Keywords beans, pasta, pasta fagioli

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