Pasta e Fagioli

Pasta e Fagioli is a traditional Italian soup with a savory tomato broth, that translates to pasta and beans. With Nonna's tips, this recipe is full of flavor and screams comfort food.

Pasta e Fagioli, which is also known as Pasta Fazool, is a very traditional Italian dish.
It's a type of dish that your Nonna (grandmother) would make you, so it screams comfort food.

I was able to ask Nonna for her tips which I’ve mixed with my own recipe to create the perfect meal! If you love hearty Italian dishes, then you must also try my pastina soup and Italian minestrone soup.

Pasta e Fagioli translates to pasta and beans in Italian. It's similar to pasta e ceci or minestrone soup with beans, vegetables, and pasta in a rich creamy sauce, what's not to love right? You can think of it as Pasta Soup 😊 

To level up this pasta, you can top with some pangrattato (crispy flavored breadcrumbs) for some crunch. This recipe is also easily made vegan too, just eliminate the parmesan cheese.

The best part is that it's all made in the one-pot which means easy cleanup. It's also made with kitchen staples most have in their fridge and pantry, so it's a great meal to make when you haven't been shopping.

Table of Contents

• Ingredients to make Pasta e Fagioli
• How to make Pasta e Fagioli
• Tips & Tricks
• Storage and Reheating
• FAQs
• More Authentic Italian
• More Pasta Recipes
• Recipe
• Comments

Ingredients to make Pasta e Fagioli

• Fagioli Beans are the star of the dish which are also known as Borlotti beans. You can also substitute with Cannellini beans, Chickpeas or Red Kidney beans. I've used canned beans however you can also use dried beans that have been soaked and then cooked in an instant pot.
• Pasta, short pasta or pastina is the best pasta to use. I've used Orecheiette as it holds the sauce like little buckets. Ditalini pasta and elbow macaroni are also popular
• Onion, Carrots, Celery make up your soffritto which is the base of the soup
• Bay leaves bring a beautiful flavour especially when sauteed with the soffritto 
• Garlic always make every dish taste better
• Nutmeg was my Nonna's tip to bring a lovely earthiness to it
• Potato is also one of Nonna's additions as it adds body and creaminess
• Tomato Paste is my preference over canned tomatoes, diced tomatoes or tomato sauce as its concentrated so it has a deeper flavour 
• Vegetable Stock is what I've used to make it vegan and vegetarian, however, if you prefer you can use chicken broth or beef broth
• Parmigiano Reggiano rind is an optional ingredient and can be eliminated to make the dish vegan friendly. Adding a small cube of the parmesan rind brings a beautiful aroma and a light cheesy depth to the sauce. It's then discarded before serving.
• Extra-virgin olive oil is used of course to saute the veggies

How to make Pasta e Fagioli

Make this classic Italian dish in these simple steps. Perfect for a cozy evening at home!

Prepare broth

1. Prepare soffritto by dicing onion, carrots and celery into tiny consistent cubes
2. Saute soffritto with olive oil in a pot over medium heat with bay leaves and a pinch of salt
3. After a few minutes (when the veggies are tender), add garlic and stir together. Then add 3 tablespoons of concentrated tomato paste and saute for 3-5 minutes to fry the sauce down. If required, add a dash of olive oil to help it saute
4. Pour in vegetable stock and water, and season with salt and pepper. Add in a potato chopped into small cubes, nutmeg and a cube of parmesan rind (optional). Place the lid on and simmer for 10-15 minutes on medium heat

Add pasta and beans

1. When the vegetables are cooked, remove a cup of broth from the pot and reserve it on the side for now
2. Add pasta and a pinch of salt, and cook with the lid on (Note, if the broth has reduced too much or the liquid is too thick you can add an extra cup of water in this step)
3. Drain a can of beans and add about a quarter of the beans to the reserved broth on the side. Once the broth has cooled down, blend it in a blender to create a creamy sauce
4. When the pasta is halfway cooked, add the beans and the creamy sauce to the pot and cook together for a few minutes. Serve it up! With some chopped parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Tips & Tricks

1. Ensure to chop the vegetables for the soffritto into tiny cubes similar in size so they all cook within the same time
2. Always fry the tomato paste down before adding the stock. It brings out all its beautiful flavours and it will also eliminate any raw tomato taste
3. I've noted in my recipe 2-3 cups of water. It's best to start with 2, and then add the 3rd cup if you find it needs it. Different pasta shapes absorb different amounts of water so you can judge if it needs more water.
4. Remove the bay leaves and parmesan rind before serving into bowls
5. Add the beans in at the end of the cooking process so they don't overcook or become mushy

Storage and Reheating

• Leftovers always taste amazing and are key as the soup flavors develops more. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
• Reheat in a pot with a dash of water or more broth until heated through
• You can also freeze for up to 2 months. I recommend to freeze without pasta included as it will become soft and mushy when reheating. Simply boil and add the pasta once thawed and ready to eat

FAQs

More Authentic Italian

More Pasta Recipes

I love seeing your creations and remakes, so be sure to rate the recipe, comment and share your Pasta e Fagioli photo on Instagram so I can share the love!

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