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!
Update 2023/04/13: I was making this tasty soup again and I thought that I would take the opportunity to update the photos, including a step by step animation!
Pasta e Fagioli Soup
A tasty Italian style bean and pasta soup with sausage and plenty of vegetables!
ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed (or ground beef)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup carrot, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seeds (optional)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 cups chicken broth (or beef broth, or ham broth)
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (14.5 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon rosemary (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme (optional)
- 1 cup ditalini pasta (gluten free for gluten free)
- 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese), grated
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped (optional)
directions
- Cook the sausage in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, breaking it apart as it cooks, and set aside.
- Add the oil, onion, carrot, and celery to the pan and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds, and tomato paste, mix, and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the broth, sausage, tomatoes, beans, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and pasta, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the pasta is cooked al-dente tender, about 7 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, mix in the parmesan and let it melt.
- Season with salt and pepper, mix in the parsley and enjoy!
Option: Use pecorino romano cheese instead of parmesan.
Option: Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce or fish sauce.
Option: Add cream for a creamy version!
Option: Add more veggies such as spinach, green beans, etc.!
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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
Jalapeno Popper Bacon and Bean Soup
Minestrone Soup
Bacon and Bean Soup
Love this recipe !! I definitely have to try this one out, thanks for sharing !!
I love how full and hearty this looks! So much stuff in it!
Oh yum! This would make a wonderful dish to bring to a friend in need. It looks so filling, warm and comforting. Thanks for sharing!
This looks oh so good!
Interesting twist on this age old dish.
This recipe originated from the peasants in Italy. They originally used a ham bone to flavor the soup. My great grandparents and grand parents would make it that way. You have many flavors in here but I definitely would recommend the traditional way of using the bone.
A delicious soup! So comforting.
Cheers,
Rosa
This is one of my favorite soups! It really does taste like a bowl of comfort.
KEVIN. You just rule it.
Oh, I love Pasta Fagiole ! I make it without meat , it is still a perfect winter meal with some good bread.
Your tags say vegetarian?
Pasta e Fagioli Soup, one of my fav vegetable soups of all time and the perfect time of year for it
I agree with the comment on the hambone. Have a bone and leftover ham from Christmas in the freezer and will be using some for this
Anonymous: I also enjoy the version where the sausage is replace with a ham bone and if you have some ham broth it gets even better!
yum! i love this classic soup!
I make my Grandma's recipe: instead of sausage, we use diced pancetta. I started using fire-roasted tomatoes and they add a nice robust flavor.
I made this for dinner this week, and my husband loved it! I brought it for lunch for two days and it just kept getting better.
made it veggie, with shrooms instead of meat, heartied it up with less broth and more wine, gobbled it down over some sprouted multi grain/seed croustini, made me wanna slap my moma.
thanks
Looks just great. And, when I substitute onion and garlic powders for the real thing, I will really enjoy it! Allergic to onions, and sensitive their cousin, the garlic. It takes me twice as long to eat the soup at Olice Garden, and I still pay for it when I get home. I will make it this week!
Authentic Pasta e Fagioli has no meat. In Italy, this was known as the "poor man's soup" because people couldn't afford meat, so they substituted with beans in order to get their protein because beans were much cheaper. Unbeknownst to them, they were eating healthier and living longer because of this substitution. Just goes to show….money can't buy everything (health)!! 🙂
Wow, this Pasta e Fagioli Soup looks yummy. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I will try this at weekended. I like Italian culture, tradition, Italian food etc . Last summer I have visited Italy as well as I have visited Italian restaurant. I have enjoyed Italian food very much.
This is a great soup. This has been a favorite each time I've made it. Although, one box of pasta is definitely too much.
I just found your recipe for Pasta e Fagioli soup which is nothing more than a pasta with beans in a liquid whether thick or thin and that's what you also said however, in your recipe you add sausage meat, carrots, etc. which now it is not a Pasta e Fagioli any more it's like vegetable soup with pasta. 2 Ingredients plus the sauce it's in that's all. We ate this always especially on Fridays we didn't eat meat and I am full Italian. Thank you….just saying.
Made this over the weekend for out of town company and it was delicious. I served it with breadsticks and a lovely (copycat Olive Garden) Salad. Left overs for tomorrow.
Hi Kevin
Besides using low sodium chicken broth and rinsing the beans, how else can I cut the sodium in this recipe? Husband and I need low sodium. I will also use ground turkey (99% fat-free) or ground beef (93-96% fat-free) instead of sausage. And, wouldn’t ham (and bone) also add sodium?
If Seattle Plumber is still looking at this recipe, my heart goes out to you. I am also allergic to onion and sensitive to garlic, and cook with the powders. It is so wonderful to know I am not the only!!!!! Good cooking and good gut health. (It might be the sulfa in the onions).
The majority of the recipes I copy are yours, Kevin. I just make some substitutions…Hugs
Other than the broth, ham bone and salt, most of the sodium comes from the sausage and the beans, and using a lower sodium alternatives such as the ground turkey or beef will help reduce the sodium.