A dish by many names—pasta e fagioli, pasta fagioli, or pasta fazool—this classic Italian bean and short pasta soup with tomatoes and greens is a tried-and-true favorite.
In this recipe
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An Italian staple
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Variations of Pasta Fagioli
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This pasta fagioli
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Pasta tip
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Freeze Pasta Fagioli
Pasta Fagioli: An Italian staple
Pasta e Fagioli, or just Pasta Fagioli. I knew – and loved – this dish years before I knew how to spell it. Raised in New Jersey, pasta e fagioli are a staple on any red sauce restaurant menu, along with spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, alfredo, and cannolis.
Pasta fagioli, also known as pasta fazool (the Neapolitan dialect for the standard Italian word for “beans”), is a peasant dish, a simple soup made with pasta, beans, and vegetables.
Variations of Pasta Fagioli
It is also a dish with a thousand variations. Some cooks make pasta e fagioli, which is so thick it’s essentially a pasta dish. Some people use so much tomato that fazool looks like tomato soup with pasta and beans.
Sometimes you see kidney beans, sometimes borlotti beans (basically the same as cranberry beans), and sometimes even kidney beans. Meat is occasionally seen, either leftover meatloaf or small meatballs like those seen in Italian Wedding Soup.
My Pasta Fagioli
This pasta fagioli version is more like a chicken soup with beans and pasta and some tomato. You can add more tomatoes if you like. Often at the end I drizzle a little good quality olive oil over the soup or grate some parmesan cheese over it.
Pasta tip for Pasta Fagioli
One thing to remember about this soup, since it contains noodles, you’ll either have to eat it all at once or put up with the noodles continuing to absorb the soup while it sits in the fridge. So the next day it will thicken, almost like a French soup. Still good but different. (Also because of the noodles, this soup doesn’t freeze very well.)
Enjoy your meal!
Can you freeze pasta fagioli?
You can freeze this soup, but once thawed, the noodles will have broken down a bit and have a different — and not very appealing — texture. If you want to freeze some of this soup or any soup with pasta like minestrone, don’t cook the pasta in the soup. Boil it separately and add to the soup just before serving. That way, each portion you freeze will not contain pasta, and cooked pasta can be added after that soup has been thawed and reheated.
Easier soups for cool weather
- Vegan chickpea minestrone
- pea puree
- One pot chicken and rice soup
- Ham and Potato Soup
- Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Pasta e fagioli
Ditalini pasta is commonly used for pasta e fagioli, but you can use any short pasta—or you can break vermicelli into small pieces.
ingredients
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3 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
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1 Cup chopped Onion
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1 big carrotpeeled and chopped
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1 big celery ribchopped
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2 big carnations garlicchopped
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1/4 teaspoon Chili Flakes
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1 teaspoon Italian spice
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6 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for a vegetarian option)
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1 Cup peeled off tomatoesfresh or canned
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1/2 lb Ditalini pasta
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2 (15 ounces) Cannellini cans or Borlotti beansdrained and rinsed (or 3 1/2 cups freshly cooked beans)
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1/4 Cup chopped Parsely
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Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, taste
method
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Fry the vegetables:
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté onion, carrot, and celery for 2 to 3 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, chili flakes, and Italian seasoning and sauté for another minute.
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Add broth, tomatoes and pasta:
Add chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to the boil. Add the noodles and bring the soup to a high simmer.
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Add beans and parsley:
When the pasta is al dente, add the beans and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the stove and stir in the parsley. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 398 | calories |
| 11g | Fat |
| 57g | carbohydrates |
| 20g | protein |
