Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Beans)
Pasta e fagioli means "pasta and beans" in Italian—this recipe is much more than that! This hearty vegetarian stew is full of irresistible fresh flavor.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 9, 2024
The Italians have graced us with countless delicious recipes. I’ve loved pizza and spaghetti for as long as I can remember, of course, but I’ve only recently discovered pasta e fagioli.
Pasta e fagioli translates to “pasta and beans.” Pasta and beans may not sound terribly enticing (unless you’re me), but I assure you that this Italian stew is truly irresistible.
Lots of aromatics, crushed tomatoes, fresh parsley and Tuscan kale turn pasta and beans into a hearty meal-in-a-bowl situation. I can’t claim that this recipe is 100 percent authentic, but it’s the best I can do.
If you appreciate homemade minestrone soup, marinara, lasagna or baked ziti, I think you’ll love this stew. It’ll warm you right up on cold days, and tastes even better the next day.
I designed this pasta e fagioli recipe to make use of canned beans, so this stew is ready in about an hour! I bet you have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already. It’s an excellent candidate for a relaxed weeknight.
How to Make the Best Pasta e Fagioli
How do we turn basic ingredients into something magical? The trick is in the method. You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s a rundown with some extra reasoning behind it:
- First, we’ll cook chopped onion, celery and carrot in olive oil until tender. We won’t cook them long enough to form a true soffritto, but they form the backbone of flavor in this dish nonetheless.
- Then, we’ll add garlic and cook just long enough to take the edge off (there’s nothing worse than burnt garlic flavor, and it’ll have plenty of time to continue cooking as we simmer the soup). Next, add crushed tomatoes and let them come to a healthy simmer—I’m convinced cooking canned tomatoes turns them from tinny to vibrant.
- We’ll pour in one quart of vegetable broth and a few cups water. The water adds volume without additional sodium. We’re cooking the pasta in the liquid, so we need plenty of it, but I’m getting ahead of myself. We’ll season the soup with bay leaves, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes, and cook for ten minutes to bring it all together.
- I want to say that the blending step is optional (and if you don’t have a blender, you can certainly skip it), but—this step is what produces the luscious, creamy-yet-cream-less texture you see here. All we do is scoop out some of the hot liquid and blend it with a portion of the beans. Pour it back in, and your soup has been transformed.
- Almost done! We’ll add the remaining beans, plus the pasta, kale and parsley. We’ll cook until the pasta and kale are tender.
- The final step, once we’ve removed the soup from the heat, is to add even more flavor with a tablespoon each of fresh lemon juice and olive oil. Taste it before and after (carefully!) and you’ll understand what a difference this makes.
Watch How to Make Pasta e Fagioli
Pasta e Ceci Variation
Pasta e ceci means “pasta and chickpeas.” This dish is just the same as pasta e fagioli, but uses chickpeas specifically for the bean component. Give it a try by making this recipe with chickpeas!
Craving more soups?
If you love this recipe, you’ll also enjoy:
- Classic Minestrone Soup
- The Best Lentil Soup
- Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
- Homemade Vegetarian Chili
- Quinoa Vegetable Soup with Kale
Please let me know how your pasta e fagioli turns out in the comments. I’m always so happy to hear from you.
Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Beans)
Pasta e fagioli means “pasta and beans” in Italian—this recipe is much more than that! This hearty vegetarian stew is full of irresistible fresh flavor. It’s vegan, too, as long as you don’t top it with cheese. Recipe yields 6 bowls or 8 cups of soup.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium-to-large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, scrubbed clean, finely chopped
- 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes*
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, omit if sensitive to spice
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini beans, Great Northern beans, or chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 3 cups cooked beans)
- 1 cup (about 4 ounces) cavatelli, ditalini, elbow or small shell pasta of choice
- 2 cups chopped Tuscan kale (tough ribs removed first), or chard or collard greens
- ¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about ½ medium lemon)
- Optional garnishes: Additional chopped parsley, black pepper, grated Parmesan cheese or light drizzle of olive oil
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and about 10 twists of black pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened and the onions are turning translucent, about 6 to 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, stir, and cook until the tomatoes are bubbling all over. Add the broth, water, bay leaves, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
- Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Use a heat-safe measuring cup to transfer about 1 ½ cups of the soup (avoiding the bay leaves) to a blender. Add about ¾ cup of the drained beans. Securely fasten the lid and blend until completely smooth, being careful to avoid hot steam escaping from the lid. Pour the blended mixture back into the soup.
- Add the remaining beans, pasta, kale and parsley to the simmering soup. Continue cooking, stirring often to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot, for about 20 minutes, or until the pasta and greens are pleasantly tender.
- Remove the pot from the heat, then remove and discard the bay leaves. Stir in the lemon juice, the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Taste and season with more salt (I usually add another ¼ teaspoon) and pepper until the flavors really sing. Garnish bowls of soup as desired, and serve.
- Leftovers taste even better the next day. Allow leftover soup to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Or, freeze leftover soup in individual portions and defrost as necessary.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my minestrone recipe, with reference to Bon Appétit (and their comments section!).
*Tomato recommendation: I always use Muir Glen tomatoes, and used their fire-roasted crushed tomatoes since they don’t offer plain.
Make it gluten free: Use a small, sturdy, gluten-free noodle, such as a corn and quinoa blend.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Don’t add cheese. Simple as that.
If you don’t have a stand blender: You can use an immersion blender to blend (carefully) a portion of the liquid with the beans in a separate (heat-safe) container. Or, skip this step altogether. Your soup will be a little more chunky and less creamy, but still very good.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This looks wonderful. I’m adding it to the list. I’m attempting to eat vegan for the month of January and I could not do it without you and your amazing recipes. Thank you for including notes on recipes for vegan modifications.
Let me know what you think, Heather!
This looks lovely but sounds almost identical to your quinoa vegetable kale soup (without the quinoa) which I cooked last night and love.
Hi! This is actually different when it comes to flavors and creamier with the beans. It’s surprising how some different changes in ingredients and method can provide different flavor. I’m happy you love my quinoa soup!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Thank you for sharing it and thanks for the GF options and non dairy options ❤️
You’re welcome, Bobbie!
This looks delicious. Do you think arugula or spinach would work?
I’m going to try it tonight with spinach as that’s what I have on hand. I’m going to add it later in the simmering process as it’s not as hardy as kale. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Hi Suette! I would recommend spinach if you don’t have kale. Let me know what you think!
Wow! This soup was really, really tasty! My husband and I LOVED it! I especially love that it’s vegan! When is your next book coming out??
Hi Karyn! I’m happy to hear you loved this recipe. I don’t have one planned currently, sorry! :) But I do have a lot of great content coming for 2020 to the blog!
Hi! I have a question for you. I can’t eat beans as they kill my tummy but I can eat, in moderation, chickpeas. Could I substitute with chickpeas? I’m sure I can. When doing a turkey chili I always use chickpeas and they are quite wonderful with the turkey.
btw, I love your recipes and do have your recipe book :)
Mary, you can definitely use chickpeas. I’ve made pasta e fagioli in the past using them and it is very good :)
I’m making this tonight! :) Can’t wait!
Hi Kate! My 4 y/o son and I love baking your Healthy Pumpkin Bread together. We often make it multiple days in a row because it is a fun activity that yields delicious results. Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful recipes with the world! A quick question: what store-bought vegetable broth do you recommend? I have not found one I love. Thanks!
We make our own at home – so easy and nutritious!
Thank you! That is probably the best solution! :)
I like Better Than Bouillon (both the vegetable one and the mushroom one are delicious).
Thank you! I haven’t tried Better Than Bullion yet. I appreciate your recommendation!
Hi Mary! I tend to use Whole Foods Organic brand or Pacific Organic works pretty well.
Fantastic! Thank you, Kate!
I cannot find a brand of vegetable stock that I like! Any suggestions for brands that you enjoy?
Oh no! I tend to use Whole Foods organic or Pacific Organic.
Trader Joe’s organic veg. stock is quite good.
Better Than Bullion is amazing! We like the “no-chicken chicken” one the best. Also Bou brand is good in a pinch :)
Looks so yummy I am making now. Would you please clarify how many cups of beans total to use? For some reason I’m confused if it’s 2 total or 2 boxes each or Cannellini and Great Northern. Thanks!
2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini beans, Great Northern beans, or chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 3 cups cooked beans). So, you need 30 oz or 3 cups total of beans that are listed. You could stick with one variety or add a mixture. Does that make sense?
Hi,
Going to make tonight for dinner. I can’t find crushed tomatoes in a 15oz can only 28oz. Even the Muir Glen is 28oz cans. Wanted to check to make sure 15oz was the correct amount.
Hi Sherry! Yes, this is the correct amount. You can measure out the 15 oz from your can if you can’t find the right size. Let me know what you think!
Can i use 15 oz diced tomato
Looks a really tasty recipe and right up my alley.
A question I had concern step 4, I don’t own a stand nor immersion bender, do you think I could use a food processor instead?
Sure! That should work too. Let me know what you think, Ross!
I just made this for dinner.i used spinach( no kale available) and I added some fresh sausage other than that I followed the recipe.it is delicious.will be making this regularly thank you
Can I use pinto beans in this ?
You could, but wouldn’t be as authentic and slightly different flavor.
Okay — do you have a recipe using pinto beans ?
Hi Forest, Yes! https://capital-fly.pro/pinto-posole-recipe/%3C/a%3E. I also have other recipes that recommend pinto beans, but this one is soup based.
This looks so good and perfect for winter!
Paige
This is my new favorite soup recipe! I followed the directions exactly as they are listed, and it came out perfect. No need to make modifications aside from seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Wonderful, Kim! Thank you for your comment and review.
Delicious! Made it tonight and my husband said, “I don’t know if you can do this, but can you keep this recipe, so we can have it again?” Awe, how sweet. Thanks for this great make!
Hello: made this soup receipe today. It is delicious. Prepared as directed. Used 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 900 ml [3.80 cups] vegetable broth, chick peas. 1.25 cups elbow macaroni, whole package of greens [3 cups or 5 oz. pkg] one whole lemon, topped with Parmesean cheese.
Reason for using bit more ingredients was to use up the full portion purchased. Lemon enhanced the soup and cutdown spicy taste of red pepper flakes. Husband approved**
Thank you for sharing and for your review, Marilyn!
I made this tonight and this is a fantastic soup! The ratio of the ingredients works perfectly. I used garbanzo beans and my family loved it- it will be on the regular Cookie and Kate rotation from now on! Many thanks!
Thank you for sharing, Kim!
Made this last night. It was super delicious. Will be making it again! Thanks for the great Recipe Kate!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you loved it, Lynette!
This looks really good! About how much would you estimate is a serving? I am doing MyWW and would like to include this in my meal plan. Thanks!
Hi Becky! The nutritional information is below the notes section of the recipe.
Would you say that a “bowl” is about 1 1/2 cups?
Thanks!
If I need to use Gluten free pasta should I cook the pasta separately & then add? If that is what you recommend please advise if I need to cut back on adding as much water or broth & by how much. Thank you!
Hi! You can cook the gluten free pasta as stated in the recipe. Depending on your type, you may just need to cut the cooking time some so keep an eye on it.
This is going on the menu for next week! I love your hearty soups in cold weather (your white bean and farro stew from Love Real Food gets made multiple times in winter!).
I can’t wait for you to try it, Kat!
Absolutely yummy. I made my own vegetable broth so not as salty as the boxed stuff. Used my mini-chop to finely chop the kale. Made homemade bread to go with it. Best soup supper ever.
Thank you, Louise! I’m glad you loved it.
I write a blog and like to share recipes that I try. I always put in a link to the original recipe as well as give credit to the person/site where I got it. Hope to include this one in this week’s blog. – btw left over it is even better.
Louise
My boyfriend said it was the best soup he has ever had!!!! We absolutely loved it. However I may have added a bit of extra pasta to the mix!
That’s fantastic! Thank you for your review, Amanda!
Delicious! I’m so happy you posted this recipe. My grandmother used to make this all the time. This is healthy, filling, so satisfying and went together quickly. Definitely a winter dinner I’ll make again. It’s going to help keep me on track with my plant based diet.
Thanks for making it already and letting me know what you though, Donna!
I have made made this soup MANY times, but I have to say this was my favorite! I could not stop myself from ladling up bowl after bowl!
I had so many yellow squash’s in the fridge so I added one just to get use them up and it did not compromise the soup at all. The lemon at the end really brightened things up. YUM!!!
Hooray!! I love to hear that. Thanks for making it already and sharing your feedback, Deb.
I made this soup this evening and it was terrific. I didn’t include the parsley but it was still great. I am not a strict vegan but try to follow a plant-based diet. We did sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese and it was a great addition. Thanks for a great addition to my vegan repertoire!
It was delicious !!!!
I did use spinach over kale because I didn’t have it but I do prefer spinach.
I didn’t add the pasta in the soup because I was afraid to would swell up and use the broth up since I wasn’t going to eat it all in one meal.
Thanks for the delicious recipe! It’s simmering ahead of dinner tonight and I taste-tested it…nice flavors and I liked the kick from the dried red pepper flakes which I’ve not put in a soup before. I used Great Northern beans, kale and your recommended Muir Glen tomatoes. Thank you!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I love your style of recipe writing.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. I used an immersion handheld blender instead of pouring it into blender.
Thank you for this recipe! I’ll be making it again.
This looks delicious & I want to try it! I can’t get 15oz cans of crushed tomatoes around my city (only 28oz); do you know approximately how many cups/tablespoons are in a 15oz can?
Easy weeknight dish! Agree that it tastes even better the next day, as the flavors get to soak and the pasta absorbs them. The Tuscan kale is delicious. Perfect for veganuary!
Just made this and it’s wonderful! A perfect winter soup!
This is an amazing recipe. Thank you so much. It will be a favorite.
I made this the other day! So delicious. Thank you!!
yum yum yum! I couldn’t get this recipe out of my head so I just had to make it. Lovely balance of flavors and so delicious. No adjustments needed. Thanks Kate!
This is good soup–a healthier version of the classic without forfeiting flavor.
Thank you for this amazing recipe. I only substituted spinach for kale (as I had none). I made it yesterday and hubby and I have enjoyed it for two dinners so far. It is so delicious and filling!!!
You’re welcome, Olivia!
Made this the other day and we all loved it. The tomatoes and kale add flavour to the original Paste e fagioli!! Thanks!!
Hi Kate,
This soup is a 5 Star Keeper! Delicious and easy. I omitted the oil and the extra salt and it was still amazing. Thank you for all your most excellent recipes. I served it with a homemade wholewheat baguette, pesto spread and a fresh green salad.
We just made this recipe tonight and loved it! The flavor is amazing.
We prefer a little spicy so we used a full teaspoon of red pepper flakes. That was the only edit for us. We’ll for sure make this again – thank you!
You’re welcome, Kerri! Thank you for trying it and letting me know your thoughts.
Made this for supper tonight, and it was an instant favorite! I’m so happy there are leftovers so I have it to look forward to for lunch tomorrow. I followed your recipe except I had a leftover beer so I substituted it for some of the water. I don’t know if that is legit in Italian cooking but it came out great!
Wonderful, Joanie!
Wow! It’s so delicious. I really like it for now.
I think it’s food healthy with my family.
Great! Thank you for your review.
Love the cookbook! This is a great recipe :) Thank you for making vegetarian delicious and simple. The aromas from this soup enticed my husband. The entire family enjoyed it. Upped the lemon to a whole one for personal taste but all the remaining ingredients and sets were the same. Served with simply green salad and gluten-free corn bread.
You’re welcome! I’m glad you loved this soup. I like the serving combination too, Kris!
It did not look so good to me, but I liked it very much … I will repeat it without weighing the extra kilos, for which I have a good solution! … https://tinyurl.com/orgweb
Used low-salt broth and added no salt nor black or red pepper. Substituted sweet potatoes as boyfriend doesn’t like carrots. Great just as it is (although considering making it Itali-Mex by adding some TJ’S Hatch Valley Salsa). Thank you again for bringing tasty, easy, healthy vegetarian into my life!
You knocked it out of the park agin, Kate! This was outstanding. I made it last night and put the pot outside in my shed (!!) overnight (bc I didn’t have room in the fridge and it was near 30 all night/day) to let this flavors blend. Had it for dinner tonight and it was to die for — especially with a nice slice of crusty toasted bread drizzled with olive oil. Hubby loved it, too. Thanks for another winner of a recipe!
Thank you, Liz! I’m glad you loved it.
The spinach worked, and this soup is DELICIOUS!
Sooo good! I think we have the same tastebuds Kate, because I legitimately love all of your recipes! I skipped the blender and added half of the water so it was more of a stew than a soup. I also used left over Banza Penne pasta in place of the suggested pastas. Amazing!
I will take it! Thank you for commenting, Pam.