Craving something hot and hearty during the cooler months? Pasta Fagioli is the perfect comfort food to warm you up from the inside out.
This recipe is part of our Strega Nona’s Harvest family dinner book club menu.
When the weather starts turning cooler (or when you fake it and turn down the AC), nothing is better than a big bowl of hot soup with some crusty bread on the side! Am I right? Yes I am. Soup Season is the best season. Full stop.
Pasta Fagioli is a soup featuring pasta and beans. Pretty straight forward, right? Just add some vegetables and you’re on your way to a super hearty and comforting vegetarian meal. It can even be vegan if you use vegetable stock and skip the parmesan cheese.
How can I make Pasta Fagioli ahead of time?
All of the vegetables can be chopped ahead of time. Store in the fridge in an air-tight container for 1-2 days. This way, when it’s time to cook you’re simply dumping ingredients into a pot and stirring.
Alternatively, you can fully cook the soup, but leave out the pasta, cool and store in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 1 week. When you’re ready to serve, place the soup in a large pot, bring to a boil, add the pasta, and cook until al dente.
The pasta will continue to absorb the soup broth even after it has cooled. This is not a problem, but does affect how brothy the pasta fagioli will be after cooling and reheating.
What can I serve with Pasta Fagioli?
- grated parmesan cheese
- minced parsley
- crusty bread
- salad
- roasted vegetables
- fresh fruit
Pasta Fagioli
Warm up with this hearty vegetarian soup.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1/2 pound ditalini pasta
- 2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- grated parmesan cheese, for serving
- minced fresh parsley, for serving
Instructions
- In a dutch oven, or other large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the the onions and sauté , stirring frequently, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and continue to sauté until fork tender, about 3 minutes longer.
- Add the garlic and Italian seasoning, stir and sauté for 1 minute.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and vegetable stock. Turn the heat up to high, bring to a boil, then add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente, about 7 minutes. Turn the heat down to simmer.
- Rinse and drain the beans, add to the pot along with the salt and pepper. Simmer until the beans are heated through, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Serve immediately with grated parmesan cheese and minced parsley.
Notes
The pasta will continue to absorb the soup broth even after it cools. This soup is best consumed immediately. If you prefer, you can cook the pasta in a separate pot and add to each individual soup serving. Then store any leftover soup without pasta in the fridge for up to 5 days.