Easy Pasta e Fagioli
This easy pasta e fagioli is a classic Italian soup loaded with vegetables, white beans, and pasta, and it’s perfect for a chilly night.
I found a recipe for this Italian white bean soup on America’s Test Kitchen and I loved that it’s comforting & hearty, uses pantry ingredients, and is on the table in no time. I adapted the recipe by adding a small parmesan rind to the soup while it simmered for added depth of flavor and I also cooked the pasta separately so I could serve the soup later in the day. This easy pasta e fagioli paired nicely with a roasted beet salad and freshly baked bread.
How to Make Easy Pasta e Fagioli
Take one can of white beans (drained & rinsed) and place it in a food processor with 1 cup of water. Blend until creamy, about 30 seconds.
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, pancetta, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 10 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, pureed white bean mixture, remaining can of whole beans, and small parmesan rind; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta to al dente in boiling salted water per instructions, and drain.
Right before serving, remove the parmesan rind and discard. Add the cooked & drained pasta to the soup along with the freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil; stir well. Taste the soup and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Serve with freshly grated parmesan on the side. Enjoy.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 (15 oz) cans of white cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced **Or 2 small onions
- 2 carrots, peeled & diced
- 1 stalk of celery, diced
- 2 oz pancetta, diced
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 cup chicken broth
- 1 small parmesan rind
- 4 oz ditalini pasta
- 2 oz parmesan cheese, finely grated plus more for serving
- ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Take one can of white beans (drained & rinsed) and place it in a food processor with 1 cup of water. Blend until creamy, about 30 seconds.
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, pancetta, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the chicken broth, pureed white bean mixture, remaining can of whole beans, and small parmesan rind; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta to al dente in boiling salted water per instructions and drain.
- Right before serving, remove the parmesan rind and discard.
- Add the cooked & drained pasta to the soup along with the freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil; stir well. Taste the soup and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.
- Serve with freshly grated parmesan on the side. Enjoy.
Such a bowl of comfort and deliciousness!
Looks very good and soup weather is coming quickly.
One of my favorite Italian dishes. Your recipe looks delicious.
Nico has given me a cold and an endless sore throat, but this sounds like the perfect antidote!
Best I’ve ever had, including an old, original Italian family recipe!
I made this starting with both dried and canned beans, and found the Bush’s canned just as good with a lot less trouble.
I do enjoy adding, and mixing in, a good “blob” of sour cream before serving.
Hilda, Sour cream sounds like a delicious addition! It’s good to know that both dried or canned beans taste equally as good. I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to let me know.
-Pam
I made this for the first time and it was soooo good. I know it’s getting warmer out, but I had almost all the ingredients on hand and decided to try it anyway. I have decided that this soup can be eaten any time of year. I served it with rolls and a light salad and it was a great spring/summer meal. It isn’t a real heavy soup, so it was perfect on a spring evening. In the colder months it could be served with a good crusty bread for a hearty, warm meal. This recipe is excellent. I even shared some with a friend who told me that it’s better than her Italian grandmother’s recipe (please don’t tell her grandma!!). The only thing I changed was not adding the Parmesan rind. I just didn’t have one. It was still fabulous. Thank you for sharing this!
Paige,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a nice comment. I’m so happy you love this soup!
-Pam