Are you looking for a delicious and hearty Italian meal? Look no further than this classic pasta fagioli recipe! It’s the perfect comfort food for chilly nights and is packed with protein and fiber.
Recipe Science
- Adding pancetta adds a savory, smoky richness. As the fat renders, it infuses the stock with a deeper flavor and slight meatiness.
- Use creamy cannellini and red kidney beans for protein and fiber. Their starches also thicken the soup, adding a rich texture.
- Use ditalini for optimal noodle-bean balance. It absorbs stock flavors, seasoning the pasta better than water alone.
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Why It Works
A rustic bowl of pasta fagioli soup is pure comfort, especially with pantry staples you likely already have. Tiny ditalini pasta and nutritious beans swim in a rich tomato broth, delivering a perfect mix of protein, fiber, and veggies. Each spoonful offers a satisfying balance of flavors and textures.
I sauté pancetta for a rich, smoky taste and then add a mirepoix vegetable medley to build the soup’s base. To make this a one-pot meal, I cook the pasta in the chicken stock, yielding more flavorful bites. In under an hour, you’ll have a hearty soup, perfect alongside garlic bread.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Meat: Adding pancetta to the pasta fagioli soup recipe enhances the soup’s flavor by introducing a savory, smoky richness. Pancetta renders its fat as it cooks, which infuses the broth with a depth of flavor and a slight meatiness that complements the beans and pasta.
- Vegetables: Create the base of the soup using a classic mirepoix. Saute diced onions, carrots, and celery. Add minced garlic for a savory allium aroma and taste.
- Herbs: Thyme and oregano add strong herbaceous notes. Sauteed in olive oil, they help extract fat-soluble flavors into the soup. Bay leaf adds a hint of eucalyptus taste.
- Tomatoes: Tomato pasta helps to thicken the chicken stock and add a hint of sweetness. Canned diced tomatoes with juice add bursts of fruit to the soup.
- Pasta: Use small-sized ditalini pasta to create the right balance of noodles and beans.
- Beans: Use a colorful combination of creamy white cannellini beans and hearty red kidney beans to add nutritious protein and fiber.
- Stock: Use unsalted chicken stock or broth as the liquid for the soup to help control the sodium level.
- Garnish: Top the pasta e fagioli soup with freshly chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
This recipe for pasta fagioli is easy to customize! Try these delicious options:
- Pancetta Substitute: Use thick-sliced bacon, ham, or Italian sausage cut into small pieces. To make the soup vegetarian, omit the meat entirely.
- Beans Options: Use different types of beans, such as chickpeas, and larger white beans, like Great Northern, pinto, or black beans.
- Add More Vegetables: Try zucchini, butternut squash, bell pepper, corn, kale, or spinach to give the dish a different flavor profile.
- Pasta Swaps: Try different types of pasta, like macaroni or small shells. Keep them short so that they’re easy to scoop with a spoon.
- Herbs: Fresh basil, tarragon, or rosemary add a different depth of flavor to the dish.
- Stock or Broth: Use low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth or stock. Water can be used, but the seasoning level must be adjusted.
How to Make Pasta Fagioli
Step 1: Saute the Pancetta
Start by heating your pot over medium heat, then add a splash of oil. Once it’s hot, briefly cook the cured meat to render some fat.
Step 2: Saute the Vegetables
Toss in the onions, celery, and carrots, letting them cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Next, add some minced garlic and sauté until it’s fragrant. Finish by stirring in some thyme and oregano, letting them cook for another 30 seconds to release their fat-soluble flavors.
Step 3: Thicken the Liquid
After sautéing the aromatics, stir in some tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds to develop its rich flavor. Next, add diced tomatoes, chicken broth, a pinch of salt, black pepper, rosemary, and a bay leaf, and stir everything together. Turn the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a vigorous simmer.
Ingredient Chemistry: Tomato paste is a concentrated ingredient that instantly thickens the soup while adding a touch of sweetness from the fruit solids.
Step 4: Cook the Beans and Pasta
Add cannellini beans, kidney beans, and pasta to the pot. Allow the mixture to cook until the pasta reaches an al dente texture, approximately 10 minutes. During this time, the starches from the pasta and beans are released, enhancing the soup’s texture and flavor profile.
Step 5: Ready to Serve
Remove the rosemary sprigs from the pot, and if the soup is too thick, add 1 to 2 cups of extra chicken broth to reach your desired consistency. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.
Finally, garnish with fresh parsley and a generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese to add a lovely finishing touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
A pasta e fagioli recipe, or “pasta and beans,” is a hearty Italian soup with primarily pasta and beans in a rich broth. Minestrone features a variety of seasonal vegetables like zucchini and green beans, beans, pasta, or rice, with a lighter broth.
For pasta fagioli, small pasta shapes like ditalini, small shells, or elbows are ideal. These shapes blend well with the beans and broth, ensuring each bite is perfectly balanced.
Yes, canned beans can be used for pasta fagioli. Make sure that the beans are drained and rinsed to remove excess salt and the slimy coating. I prefer canned beans for convenience and quick preparation. Dried beans can be used, cooking them in a separate pot until tender before simmering in the soup.
This pasta fagioli recipe is designed as a one-pot meal, but you can cook the pasta separately to prevent it from soaking up too much liquid. If the pasta absorbs too much liquid, simply add more stock after cooking to adjust the consistency.
More Soup Recipes
If you tried this Pasta Fagioli Recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Pasta Fagioli
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅓ cup diced pancetta, ¼" dice
- 1 cup diced white onion, ¼" dice
- ½ cup diced celery, ¼" dice
- ½ cup diced carrots, ¼" dice
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 28 ounce canned diced tomatoes, with juice
- 4 cups unsalted chicken broth, more to thin out soup
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup dried ditalini pasta
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- 15 ounce canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Saute the Pancetta – Heat a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat and add oil. Once hot, add the pancetta and saute for 1 to 2 minutes to render some fat.
- Saute the Vegetables – Add the onions, celery, and carrots, and saute until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the thyme and oregano and saute for 30 seconds.
- Thicken the Liquid – Add tomato paste and saute for 30 seconds. Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth, salt, black pepper, rosemary, and bay leaf, stir to combine. Turn the heat to medium and bring the liquid to a vigorous simmer.
- Cook the Pasta – Add cannellini beans, kidney beans, and pasta to the pot, and cook until pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes.
- To Serve – Remove rosemary sprigs and add more chicken broth if needed to thin out the consistency, about 1 to 2 cups. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as desired. Garnish with parsley and parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Make it Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free pasta instead of wheat pasta.
- Storing: Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Cool and portion into resealable plastic bags for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Cook on the stovetop over medium heat, occasionally stirring until hot. Add more stock or water to thin the consistency as needed.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
JJ says
I made this the day you posted it! SO delicious!
I tweaked it a tiny bit (a sprinkle of sugar, some white miso, teeny bit of country Dijon)…mostly to bring in flavors we particularly like.
The recipe makes three quarts…and it gets even better the following days.
DON’T skip the Parmsean garnish!!
DEE-licious!!
Jessica Gavin says
Thanks for sharing your delicious modifications to the pasta fagioli recipe, JJ! I’ll have to give it a try. It’s always nice to have leftovers!
Joan says
Great Recipe thank you, we made double the amount so we would be able to freeze it and have some for another day thank you again for this easy delicious recipe
Jessica Gavin says
You’re so welcome! Great idea to freeze the soup for meal prep!