This hearty, one-pot pasta and white bean soup is different than most recipes. It’s made with fresh cherry tomatoes (instead of canned) which lightens and brightens the taste. Use my Italian-style vegetable stock and buttery home-cooked white beans for the ultimate comfort food experience.
Pasta e fagioli or “pasta and beans” in Italian is a humble, peasant-style recipe from the cucina povera (Italian poor kitchen). It’s made with creamy white beans, tomato and pasta. Short cut pasta like ditalini is the ideal shape. You could also use leftover pasta scraps from homemade ravioli or fresh pasta dough. The texture can be thick or brothy.
Like most traditional Italian soups, you’ll find variations of pasta e fagioli depending on the region of origin, ingredient availability and personal preference. According to expert Tuscan food writer Giulia Scarpaleggia, borlotti beans are used in Northern Italy; cannellini beans are used in Tuscany and Campania. I used Great Northern beans, which are similar to cannellini beans, because that’s all I could find.
Did You Know?
From what I understand, there are two distinct type of pasta e fagioli: red and white.
The red version, which is prevalent here in America, is heavily tomato-based and quite brothy. You’ve probably tried it. There are a gazillion recipes online. The white version, which I believe is more traditional, is thicker and might exclude tomato altogether (or add just a touch of tomato paste or chopped fresh tomatoes for blushing color). Please note that pasta e fagioi is not vegetable soup. That’s minestrone soup, which is delicious but different.
About This Recipe.
I’ve tested a bunch of versions and white-ish pasta e fagioli is the winner for me! It leans on fresh cherry tomatoes (instead of canned) and the pasta cooks directly in the pot (its natural starches thicken the broth). This recipe makes about 2 quarts, enough for 4-6 people, and is ready in under 1 hour. Serve with a crunchy green salad on the side. What is you favorite soup recipe? Comment below!
Ingredients You Will Need:
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Celery
- Garlic cloves
- Cherry tomatoes
- Great Northern or Cannellini beans (home-cooked or canned)
- Vegetable stock (homemade or store-bought)
- Fresh bay leaf
- Ditalini pasta
- Fresh parsley
- Salt & pepper
- Parmesan cheese & sourdough bread, to serve
How To Make It {Step-By-Step Recipe}
- In a large pot (Dutch oven or 5-quart braiser pot), warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and celery; sauté until soft, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the smashed garlic cloves. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the halved cherry tomatoes. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes collapse, soften and their release their juices. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the cooked white beans (or canned beans + 1 bay leaf), with 1 cup of vegetable stock. Bring to a gentle boil.
- Add the pasta, with 2 cups of stock. Reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring often (so the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot because it will) until just shy of aldente. Add more stock as needed. When finished, the pasta should have a bite to it; it will continue to cook as the soup stands off the heat.
- Stir in the fresh parsley.
- Taste, and season with salt and pepper.
- Portion the soup into wide shallow bowls; serve with Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
- Don’t forget the sourdough bread!
Print
Soul Warming, One-Pot Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and White Bean Soup)
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 40
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 2 quarts
Category: Soup
Method: Stove-top
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This standout, Italian pasta e fagioli recipe is different than most. It’s made with fresh cherry tomatoes to lighten and brighten the taste. Dried ditalini or fresh homemade pasta (scraps) cook directly in the pot; its natural starches thicken the broth. This soup thickens more on standing, so I recommend serving it right away. Or, have extra stock on hand to loosen up the texture when re-heating future meals. Recipe adapted from one of my favorite books: Cucina Povera by, Giulia Scarpaleggia.
Note: this recipe is made better using my simple homemade vegetable stock and my buttery, home-cooked beans from scratch. The layers of flavor are absolutely incredible!
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 small celery stalked, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 360 g (12 oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 500 g (2 cups) cooked white beans or 1x (15 oz) can of Great Northern or Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups homemade veggie stock, divided, plus more as needed
- Fresh bay leaf
- 75 g ditalini pasta
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- Parmesan cheese & sourdough bread, to serve
Instructions
- In a large pot (Dutch oven or 5-quart braiser pot), warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and celery; sauté until soft, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the smashed garlic cloves. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the halved cherry tomatoes. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes collapse, soften and their release their juices.
- Add the cooked white beans (or canned beans & 1 fresh bay leaf) with 1 cup of vegetable stock. Bring to a gentle boil.
- Add the pasta with 2 cups of stock. Reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring often (so the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot because it will), until just shy of aldente, about 11 minutes. Add more stock as needed. When finished, the pasta should have a bite to it; it will continue to cook as the soup stands off the heat.
- Stir in the fresh parsley.
- Taste, and season with salt and pepper. If you want the soup more brothy, now is the time to add more stock. The soup will thicken more upon standing.
- Serve in wide shallow bowls with Parmesan cheese, sourdough bread, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
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