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.
Delicious (and easy to make) soup that made for great leftovers, too. The flavors were incredible and complex.
I’m excited you loved this soup, Madeline!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was so good! I had to use tomato sauce rather than crushed tomatoes but it still worked great. Topped with parmesan cheese and enjoyed with crusty bread. Will definitely make again!
Great to hear, Kim! Yes, crusty bread is delicious with this soup.
I just made this and I never follow an exact recipe but I wouldn’t change anything about this one. Ticks all the boxes, delicious, hearty, cheap. This is going in my regular rotation for sure! Thank you!!
Thank you for sharing, Aaron!
This was delicious. My husband makes this all the time and even he thought this recipe was better than his usual dish. Just don’t make the mistake I did of using extra pasta or you’ll get pasta stew. :)
Thanks for sharing, Lynn!
Please, please, please, DON’T PUT SO MANY INGREDIENTS IN THIS SOUP!! It doesn’t need parsley, kale, LEMON JUICE (!!!).
Beans, tomatoes, soffritto and salt, maybe bay leaves, are enough!!
Italian cuisine is simple, too many ingredients are not request!!!
I’m sorry you are frustrated by this recipe, Marina. Maybe this one just isn’t for you.
I’m not frustrated, I’m Italian and this isn’t an Italian pasta e fagioli. That’s all.
I have a question. The recipe looks yummy and healthy, but I was wondering why you didn’t suggest a more healthy pasta. Would it change the taste?
Hi Nancy, I’m not sure what you mean by more healthy pasta. If there is a different pasta you would like to use, I think that should be fine. I used an pasta that was most authentic to this recipe. I hope that helps!
OMG this recipe turned out delicious. Great for a cold winter night, it’s creamy and tasty – warms the soul!
I used chard and it turned out great. To reheat the next day I had to add back some more water, still really good.
Thank you for sharing <3
You’re welcome, Anne-Marie! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Made this last night and it was amazing! The lemon juice was key. Thank you and can’t wait to try more recipes.
You’re welcome, Amy!
Do you peel the carrots?
I made this for dinner tonight, following the recipe pretty exactly, and it turned out amazing! Even my non-vegetarian mom really liked it.
Will definitely be making this one again!
This was amazing! Made a double batch on Sunday for lunches for the week. It fed me and my husband all week, and honestly just got better. Only suggestion is cook the pasta to al dente if you’re doing that, since it will absorb liquids over time. Seriously delicious, hearty and healthy! Thank you!
I love that you made a double batch! Thank you for sharing, Steph.
Made this tonight, what a wonderful and hearty soup for a snowy winter night! Perfect through and through. Thanks for sharing!
Perfect for a snowy night, Shanley! Thank you for your review.
I made this last week and it was outstanding! I used one can of chickpeas and one can of cannellinis. This is definitely going in my winter dinner rotation.
Wonderful to hear, Ashley! I appreciate your review.
I followed the recipe exactly. On the first day, it was a little disappointing, thinner than in the pictures. The next day, though, it was delicious. It had thickened up and developed great flavor by then.
Oh no! I’m sorry you didn’t love it the first day. I’m glad it redeemed itself the second day.
This soup is MAGIC. The flavor has incredible depth from simple nutritious ingredients. A complete meal that is filling. Delicious! Made this last week and again tonight!
Magic? I love it! Thank you for sharing, Carolyn.
That was soooooo good. And the “I must always eat meat” hubby ate it too. I will admit that I got a little over zealous with the pasta, but it still tastes great! I love how I can modify it once bowled for everyone’s taste, like adding cheese or big crunchy croutons. I might add some basil and more red pepper next go around. Definitely a keeper!
It was delicious!
Made this last week and it was fantastic. Adding it to the weekly winter roster, I think (it’s summer here – might not have been the best time to make soup – but still scrumptious!).
I’m glad you tried it anyway, Catherine!
Another triumph! Been thinking about this since you posted it, so I made it tonight, and it’s a real joy. I’m not ashamed to say both my wife and I ate two bowls in a row! Weirdly, yesterday I was thinking about my favorite dish from before I was vegetarian- my mum’s greek lamb stew- and wondering if it would be possible to recreate it without the lamb. This soup is a dead ringer for it! The only thing I changed was topping it with feta rather than parmesan, just a personal preference.
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing, Sofie. I’m happy it was such a hit.
Do you think one could make this ahead and freeze it?
Hi Carolyn! You could try it. Your noodles may get mushy, but that’s my experience.
This soup is easy and so delicious! Thank you for another great recipe!
I made this and it is so yummy! The flavor is awesome and has gotten better each day with leftovers! You’re right that the blending really helps the texture and make it creamy! This is definitely going on my soup rotation :)
Wonderful to hear, Lindsay!
This was super delicious! I made it for my mum and she was very curious about the creaminess. When I explained it was blitz beans she was so delighted. Love your recipes. I cook and eat similarly to you, but am loving the way you take the recipes I love to the next step making them slightly, yet infinitely, more delicious.
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Steph! Thank you for your review.
This was amazing!! So flavorful and so easy. Mine didn’t come out quite as thick, but I think I added an extra cup of broth so that’s to be expected. The lemon juice really made this for me. This is going in the regular rotation! I followed the recipe to a T (except for the extra broth). Delicious! Thank you!
Thank you for sharing, Samantha!
I was wondering if you cover the pot at any time during cooking?
Hi, Zoreh. I don’t for this version.
This was one of the most delicious and filling soups I have ever had. Five stars!
This soup is awesome, very flavour full, tastes just like it’s come out of a fancy Italian restaurant kitchen. Definitely making again!
This is an extraordinarily good soup/stew. I made it with Rancho Gordo Yellow Eye beans that I cooked in an Instant Pot. I also included our own frozen tomato sauce from homegrown tomatoes. I followed the recipe exactly, and my husband and I thought it was wonderful. We will be making this frequently throughout the year. Thank you so much.
So so SO good!! I added a little white wine as well. Make this!
I’m glad you loved it, Rachel!
Just made this last night! It was absolutely delicious, and you’re right about it being even better as leftovers. I added a bit too much pasta and it absorbed a lot of the broth – so make sure you follow Kate’s directions on that! The grocery store was sold out of kale, so I used collard greens instead and it still came out delicious. Can’t wait to make this again!
Thank you for sharing, Melissa! I’m glad you will make it agian.
I used 1 can of kidney beans and 1 can of white beans. I doubled the amount of lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt. I only had one of those bagged salads that contains shredded kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli stems–you know the type. I put 2 cups of the salad into the soup and that worked just fine. Pretty easy recipe for the tasty result; thanks.
Thank you for sharing your variation, SH!
This soup was so delicious! Thank you Kate :)
I loved this soup!! There are not a lot of the usual herbs called for besides the oregano and bay leaves so I wondered how it could have so much flavor but there was some sort of alchemy at work while it cooked!! It is just delicious and one I will make again for sure. Do you have any thoughts on its ever being ok to replace stock with water? I would be very interested in your thoughts on that. Thank you, Kate, for another great soup!! You, too, Cookie.:)
Hi Susan! You could try replacing the broth. I haven’t tried it for this one, but it works for a few of my other soups. Let me know what you think!
This is a great dish. I’ve made it twice so far – the first time with the cannellini beans, and the second time, I was out and used garbanzo beans instead, and it was delicious that way, too. I’m actually eating the leftovers right now. All your recipes have been winners. I’m going to try the vegan lasagna on Monday, with some tofu meatballs. I’ll let you know how it turns out, and I’m sure it will be a hit.
I’m excited you have made this twice already, Regina! Thanks for sharing.
This soup was soo delicious! I love making your soups and am happy for this new addition. My soup tends to get very thick, especially as leftovers. Perhaps I should add even more water/vegetable broth?
Sure! Thank you for sharing you loved this, Julia.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It was delicious! I love that the pasta soaks up the broth for leftovers and it becomes more of a saucy pasta dish than a soup. So yum!
I’m happy you loved it, Lauren!
Although it took me longer to make the recipe than indicated, the results were outstanding. I didn’t change a thing except to perhaps use a bit more garlic and shake less red pepper flakes. My husband also loved it.
Yum! Just made this for dinner and will definitely be making again! My husband and two young children all loved it. ❤️ Thank you!
Just made this and will be serving it for dinner in a few hours. I did add one hot Italian Sausage link cut up and browned it before I cooked the onions and celery. I removed the sausage when cook and put aside then continued on with recipe as written adding the sausage back at the end. I think the browned bits add a bit more depth. The flavor is lovely and the consistency is like a stew after cooking the pasta and blending the beans/broth. Thanks for the recipe!
I loved this soup! I’m not a fan of kale, so used baby kale, and I added a teaspoon of cumin – enough to add a little spice without tasting like chile. I made it in the morning up to adding the beans, then later used an immersion blender enough to thicken, added the kale, then brought back to a boil, added the pasta and cooked another 15 minutes. So good. Everyone had seconds.
Hello Kate! Love your recipes :)
Do you think this will freeze well?
Thank you
Hi Leyna, thank you! It will freeze well, yes! The pasta may absorb some more liquid during the reheating process, so it may be more stewy later, but still delicious.
This was delicious!!! And fun to make! Thank you!
I loved the different flavors finding their way through and it was filling.
Made this a few times now and it’s delicious! I do add more pasta though as I absolutely love it ☺️ I also add butter beans as they’re my favourite! I love adding some cheese on top too.
This soup is EVERYTHING. I’ve made it twice now and it is just so hearty, comforting, flavorful, and healthy. I feel amazing after I eat it. It’s seriously heaven in a bowl. Thanks for the recipe.
I try to make veggie soups without recipes and they turn out “meh” . Not anymore, this is my new go to recipe! I added some green beans because I had in fridge but otherwise followed recipe. I won’t “wing it” anymore. This was soup I’ve been trying to make.
Kate, I just made this soup and had it for dinner – it’s a knockout. I used spinach instead of kale and that was the only modification, as Tuscan kale wasn’t readily available. It’s just delicious. Thank you for another winner.
Made this last night. Wonderful! Used Barilla gf elbow pasta, replaced water with more veggie broth because I needed to use it up, and let a sprig of rosemary simmer with the stew (took it out before serving). Thanks!
Hi Kate!
I was wondering if there’s a way to make this recipe without tomatoes? Are there any substitutes you suggest? Thanks!
Hi Marina! Unfortunately, this one really needs to tomatoes. They are a key player in the flavor and authenticity. Sorry!
Forgot to add the olive oil at the end – dammit! Nevertheless, still rich and delicious. It felt like it was doing us good as we ate it as well. Tasty and delicious – ideal. Thank you.
I meant ‘tasty and nutritious’. Sorry!
Should check before I post.
This was soooo fabulous – but I have a question- my pasta soaked up most of the broth by the time the soup was done cooking and then the leftovers were completely void of broth… Would it be remotely as yummy if I cooked the pasta separate and added it in at serving time? Or would it help at all to half cook the pasta in a different pot and then add it in to finish it off? Or should I just add a little more water or broth at the end of cooking?
Hi Molly, so glad you enjoyed the recipe! It’s funny, pastas must vary by brand or shape in their absorbability. I have not had that issue even after freezing and defrosting the soup. I think that cooking the pasta separately would work well—or maybe your idea to cook half of the pasta in the soup, half separately would be the ideal solution. Please report back if you try!