Posted by If you need comfort food, stop right there! Pasta fagioli has come to the rescue. Of all the most satisfying soup recipes, this Italian soup (pronounced “pasta fah-jolie”) is a delicious and easy standout. The best part? From start to finish, it only takes 45 minutes to pull together. The hearty soup gets a thickened richness from its star ingredient of canned white beans and is chock-full of vegetables, including carrots, tomatoes, and kale. It’s is easily made vegetarian… you’ll never even miss the meat! Just be sure to serve with a big sprinkle of grated parmesan on top and plenty of buttery garlic bread to round out the meal.
What is pasta fagioli?
A delicious cross between pasta and soup, pasta fagioli is a classic Italian soup that is traditionally thickened with cooked white beans. In Italian, it’s known as pasta e fagioli, which translates to “pasta and beans.”
Does pasta fagioli contain meat?
Some versions do, but this recipe doesn’t. With hearty white beans and pasta, you’ll never miss the meat in this satisfying soup!
Why do you mash some of the beans in pasta fagioli?
Mashing the beans helps thicken the brothy soup up a bit resulting in a delicious silky texture that coats each piece of pasta.
What’s the difference between pasta fagioli and minestrone?
Pasta fagioli and minestrone are both Italian soups with similar flavors that make use of whatever vegetables you have on hand. The main difference is the beans in the pasta fagioli that result in a thicker soup than minestrone, which is traditionally very brothy.
Whats essential for making pasta fagioli?
A good cooking pot and plenty of canned beans are must-haves for pasta fagioli—everything else can be substituted with what you have on hand. If you want to make it vegetarian, use vegetable broth instead of chicken. Did your helpful spouse buy the wrong canned tomatoes at the market? No problem—you can use crushed tomatoes or even diced fresh tomatoes. Don’t have ditalini pasta? Use small elbows, shells, or even bowties! Don’t like kale? Use spinach, or leave out the greens altogether.
Ingredients
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp. salt, plus additional to taste
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 6 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
- 2 15-oz. cans white beans (cannellini or great Northern), drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 c. ditalini pasta
- 3 c. chopped fresh kale
- 1 lemon
- Parmesan cheese, for topping
Directions
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- 1In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, 1/2 teaspoon salt, oregano, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have just softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic; cook, stirring often, about 2 minutes more.
- 2Add the broth and undrained tomatoes; stir to release any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Add half of the beans to a bowl; mash with a fork and stir into the soup. Add the remaining beans and the pasta to the pot; reduce the heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, for 10 minutes. Stir in the kale and cook until the pasta is tender, about 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat.
- 3Zest the lemon, then cut it in half. Squeeze one lemon half into the soup. Add 1 teaspoon of the zest and stir to combine. Taste and add more lemon juice or salt as desired. Top servings with parmesan.
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