Pasta e Fagioli Soup

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This version is vegetarian. You usually find pasta e fagioli has pancetta or ground beef. Here I skip meat, and the soup still has tons of flavor from fresh minced garlic and a mix of dried spices.

The soup simmers in just 15-20 minutes. It is a simple recipe that relies on convenient pantry ingredients such as canned beans and canned tomatoes.

It is a make-ahead, freezer friendly soup. My biggest tip is to cook the pasta separately from the soup. Then when you warm leftovers you can add the pasta, so it doesn’t get soggy. Not simmering the pasta in the broth gives you more serving options in terms of timing and dietary preferences.

What is Pasta e Fagioli?

The name of this soup means “pasta and beans” in Italian. Recipes vary depending on the region, but the essential ingredients include beans, onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, garlic and spices. It can be made with or without meat.

The Ingredients

This is what you need:

• Beans: As it is written, the recipe calls for 2 cans of cannellini beans, but you can use navy beans, great northern beans, borlotti beans, red kidney beans or a combination. You can also substitute with chickpeas to make pasta e ceci soup. Always drain beans and rinse them off when you are getting them out of the can.
• Onions, carrots & celery are the base for countless soups and stews including this one. This trio of vegetables sautés before you add the beans, broth and tomatoes. 
• Tomatoes: I love chunks of tomatoes, so I use a large can of diced tomatoes.
• Spices: The soup is seasoned with dried rosemary, oregano, salt and pepper.
• Garlic: I include 3 minced garlic cloves. If you’re a big fan of garlic, don’t hesitate to add another clove to amp up the garlic taste.
• Vegetable broth: Use low-sodium vegetable broth, so you can control the seasonings. If you don’t mind if the soup is not vegetarian, then you can substitute with chicken broth or beef broth.
• Pasta: Small tubular shapes such as ditalini pasta, pennette or even elbows are all great options. You can use small shells such as cavatelli too.
• Olive oil is needed for sautéing the onions, carrots and celery.
• Parsley: I sprinkle the soup with chopped fresh herbs once it is spooned into bowls.
• Parmesan: Be generous with topping each bowl of soup with finely grated Parmesan. You can leave out the cheese to make the soup vegan.

How To Make Pasta e Fagioli Soup

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

2. Sauté the onions, carrots and celery until they start to soften and become tender, about 4 minutes.

3. Stir in the garlic, rosemary, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

4. Pour in the liquid ingredients including the vegetable broth and tomatoes as well as the beans.

5. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until it reduces a bit, about 15-20 minutes.

6. Cook the pasta until al dente while the soup simmers.

7. To serve, spoon pasta into the bottoms of the bowls. Then ladle in the soup.

8. Garnish with chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Optional Step: Mashing Beans into the Soup

If you want the soup to turn out thicker with fewer whole beans, save a half-cup of beans rather than putting all of them into the pot to simmer. When the soup is ready, puree the reserved beans with 1 cup of mostly broth in a blender. Then pour it back into the pot.

Leftovers and Storing

Store the soup and pasta in separate airtight containers. You can keep them in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Warm the soup on the stove. Add the pasta in the last minute of simmering. If you add it too soon, the pasta will be too soft. You can also warm the soup in the microwave.

You can freeze the soup up to 1 month. Do not freeze the pasta. Make more pasta when you are planning to thaw and warm your leftovers.