Pasta e Fagioli Soup (Italian Pasta and Bean Soup)

I have totally been into soups lately making one or two soups per week and this only seems appropriate with the chilly weather that we have been having! With the release of my new eCookbook, Tasty Soups , I could not resist teasing you with sharing one of the new soups with you! This pasta e fagioli (aka pasta fazool) is an Italian pasta and bean soup that is so full of flavour and hearty enough to get you through even the coldest days. There are many different versions of this soup and although many are meatless I like to bulk mine out a little and add flavour with the addition of Italian sausage. When I make a soup I am always looking for ways to add more flavour and one good trick that I learned a while ago is that adding parmesan (aka parmigiano reggiano) rinds to a soup like this or even when making chicken stock adds umami flavour! This soup is pretty straight forward to make but it does take some so it can be a good idea to double the recipe to ensure leftover for quick lunches during the week and besides this is one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day!


Of course this pasta e fagioli soup would not be complete without some cheesy garlic bread!

Pasta e Fagioli Soup (Italian Pasta and Bean Soup)

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Servings: 4

A tasty Italian style bean and pasta soup with Italian sausage and plenty of vegetables.

ingredients

• 1/2 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted and ground
• 1/4 cup white wine or broth
• 4 cups ham broth or chicken broth or chicken stock
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (2 inch) piece parmesan rind
• 1 cup ditalini pasta (gluten free for gluten free)
• salt and pepper to taste
• parsley, chopped (optional)

directions

1. Cook the sausage in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat and set aside.
2. Add the oil, onions, carrots and celery to the pan and saute until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and fennel seeds and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the wine and deglaze the pan.
5. Add the broth, sausage, tomatoes, beans, tomato paste, oregano, bay leaf and parmesan rind, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. (If you have the time this soup will benefit from being simmered longer.)
6. Add the pasta and simmer until it is cooked al-dente, about 6-8 minutes.
7. Season with salt and pepper and serve garnished with parsley and parmesan.

Slow Cooker: Implement step 1, optionally implement steps 2-4, place everything except the beans and pasta in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-10 hours or high for 2-4 hours before adding the beans and pasta and cooking on high until the pasta is al dente, about 20-30 minutes.

Similar Recipes:
Spinach, White Bean and Turkey Sausage Soup
Lasagna Soup
Beer Mac n Cheese Soup
Maple, Bourbon Ham and Baked Bean Soup
Bean and Ham Soup
Split Pea Soup
Venezuelan Black Bean and Chorizo Soup
Spaghetti and Meatball Soup

More soup recipes!