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.
WOW!!!!!! This might be the best soup/stew I have ever made. Followed recipe exactly – had to sub dried parsley for fresh and garnished with pecorino romano.
I love to hear that! Thanks for sharing, Robyn.
I made this last night and it was delicious! Blending a portion of the broth with the beans created such a luscious consistency. I added a little more crushed red pepper for some extra spice plus a teaspoon of miso while it was simmering for some extra richness. So so so tasty!!!
I’m so happy you loved it, Lauren! I appreciate your review.
I used your recipe, however, I added a package of mild Italian sausage, casings removed, and a pound of ground beef both cooked prior to adding to pot. It was delicious.
I’m happy you loved it, Frances! Thanks for your review.
I love how you can double the recipe with just a click- even the text part! Great recipe btw! This one is in the regular winter rotation!
Hi Kate,
Made this soup yesterday, absolutely delicious!!!! For my husband to say that this soup is better than his mother’s, you know that it has to be good. The flavor is even better the next day.
Thank you for all of your wonderful, healthy recipes and tips. We especially like the apple muffins and banana bread/muffins as well.
Many compliments,
Rita
Love this recipe. Used can of diced tomatoes, as it was all I had. Added a couple table spoons of tomato paste. It was hearty and very tasty
This recipe yields a dish as close to my mother’s as I have found! My mom has been gone near 40 years but always right next to me when I have pasta e fagoli
Loved this recipe!! I topped it with Brazil nut parmesan and it was perfection!
Thank you for trying it!
It’s a cold March day here in France during the lockdown so this stew was very comforting. Delicious & easy to make with staple ingredients!
Amazing soup, my husband and I loved this so much. We paired it with your garlic bread recipe and it was so good!
Is it possible to sub tomato paste somehow for the can of tomatoes?
Hi Gina! Yes, I think you could substitute a few tablespoons of tomato paste.
This was the best pasta fagiole. You would have thought Nonna made this. My fussy vegetarian daughter absolutely loved it. So did my Italian husband. Thank you
Hooray! I’m glad she could enjoy it too, Odette:)
Kale in pasta e fagioli? No pancetta? No parmigiana or pecorino?
Hi Lee! I tried to keep this as authentic as I good, but also adding my touch :)
lee. lee. Lee. that’s lacinato kale very Italian. I prefer luscious Chard and ditalini pasta ….dats what COOKING is all about
This soup tastes absolutely wonderful. I’ve cooked it a few times already and it’s become a regular vegetarian meal in my kitchen. My daughter, who is not fond of beans, loves it! Thank you for this fantastic recipe
I stumbled on this recipe a couple weeks ago and made it last week. It’s a winner! I have fresh parsley (and thyme) growing in my Aerogarden and used that. I only had 28oz cans of whole peeled tomatoes and used the whole can (crushing the tomatoes with my hands before adding). I like things a bit more tomato-ey.
I had intended to freeze some portions but the pot didn’t last!
I gave the recipe to my mom last week and she prepared it and she and my stepdad love it!
I have leftover kale/celery so I’ll be making another batch today!
Fantastic recipe! I spent a fair enough of time researching trying to find what looked like a promising Pasta e Fagioli recipe and this one caught my attention. So happy I went with this one.
Kate, this is amazing. I made it once before and loved it and decided to make an extra large bath (6x) and share with a couple neighbors. Large jar of this amazing stew, a loaf of bread, and a note that “we’re all in this together and to enjoy your time with your family” They were on their own for the wine. Thank you for sharing and stay safe.
That’s a lot of soup! I’m glad you were able to share it.
Made your recipe for pasta fagoli today. It’s a winner. Putting it in my save. Very good recipe.
AMAZING
This soup was amazing. It turned out fantastic! Great flavour and texture. I used cannellini beans.
Hi Kate,
I’ve made this recipe several times since we’ve been staying home in California. Today I used golden egg bonnetti pasta and I roasted garlic and added it to the cups of soup which are blended. The slight deviation made a subtle but pleasant richer flavor. Can’t wait to try so many more of your recipes. Thank you!
Hi Kate,
I made this soup today exactly as written (unusual for me), and it was fantastic! Served it with homemade garlic knots and my husband was floored.
I’m leaving a review, also unusual for me, because the lemon juice at the end is just brilliant, and counter-intuitive. I’ve been cooking for a looonnggg time and while I love adding an acidic component to foods, I would NEVER have thought to add it to a tomato-based soup. One usually adds a pinch of sugar to counteract the acidity of canned tomatoes. I’d like to know where you got the inspiration for the lemon juice, and why it works.
Thank you and a hug to Cookie!
Made this tonight and it’s absolutely delicious!!! Will definitely make this again!
This was great! My husband loved it and he’s a picky eater. I loved that not only was it delicious, but was very healthy. Thanks so much!
You’re welcome, Loretta!
This is a great recipe! I added a Parmesan rind and a little smoked paprika to the broth for more flavor, and I actually ended up using leftover homemade spaghetti sauce instead of the crushed tomato, but it was still delicious. Definitely important to blend up some of the beans for a creamy consistency. Even the picky teenagers loved it! Thank you!
This was fantastic! My new favorite go to soup. Thanks
This was fantastic! My new favorite go to soup. I really appreciate
that you include nutritional value, Thanks
Absolutely delicious!
I LOVE this recipe. I am making this for the 4th time this morning. The two of us can have it for lunches or if we don’t feel like making dinner, bam. Lasts us a good 3 days. YUMMY. I’m not a huge fan of bay leaves so I sub a generous pinch or three of Thyme. :-) I make my own veggie broth with scraps (prefer it over store bought organic). Thank you!
I made this last night – used dry cannellini beans which I had soaked the day before. Followed your recipe and it was sooooooo delicious. Husband and I are not vegetarians not to say we don’t eat a lot of vegetables but no need for any meat in this dish. I will be making this regularly. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers for 2nd night. Thank you.
I love it! Thank you for sharing, Vicki.
I prepared its delicious .. thank you for share the recipie
You’re welcome, Marlene!
This soup was sooooo liquidy. I had to blend way more of it to thicken it, and in trying to reduce it, cooked the pasta to nothing :(
I made this ‘almost’ exactly as the recipe states. I only added one can of beans, because that’s all I had, and used spinach instead of kale. I dropped some off to my VERY Italian 95 year old Aunt and she said it was the best she EVER had! We always try the pasta fragoli in Italian restaurants and this recipe bests them all! Thank you! Oh, by the, it better next day….had to add a bit more broth And it was great! Thank you!
Made this last night. Delicious can’t wait to enjoy the leftovers. My husband loved it as well.
I’m happy to hear that, Dianne! Thank you for your review.
Love this soup.❤️
Although the my “soup” turned out entirely different than I had hoped, I feel compelled to leave this review. I am 4 months pregnant and was craving pasta fagioli. My sweet husband does all of the grocery shopping right now and brought me home a box of Ziti swearing it was the only remaining pasta.
We all know that when a pregnancy craving hits, it must be satisfied so I prepared the soup as written but included Ziti noodles instead. The result is the most fantastic pasta dish I’ve ever made.
I can’t wait to try this again using proper pasta. In the meantime, I am going to enjoy my Ziti fagioli. Thanks for a great recipe!
This was so, so, so good. I followed the directions exactly and it turned out amazing! I’ve been struggling to find a dish that will last me through the week for lunches and dinners and this soup held up beautifully all week long. I’m obsessed and making it a second week in a row!
I made your pasta e fagioli. We are home bound. We didn’t have any greens so I added another cup or so of ditalini. It was both delicious and a comforting meal. And great with a glass of Chardonnay. Thanks for sharing!
I made the recipe last night and LOVED it! I substituted fresh garlic for minced garlic and some powdered garlic (because I was out!). Will Make again!
Great recipe. Easy and enjoyed by the whole family.
I’m happy to hear that! Thanks for your review, Lina.
This sounds like a fabulous soup to make, I was scheduled to return to Italy for a holiday later in the year but obviously cannot do so. So I think I’ll cook lots of Italian food instead starting with your delicious soup! Thank you and best wishes Marie
This is one of my favorite soups and your recipe was easy and delicious. I’m going to make the minestrone next, and I’ve shared a link on Facebook. Thank you for such great vegetarian recipes.
Just made this and it is sooo good! My husband loved it even though he said, “there’s green stuff in it”. This is a keeper.
That’s hilarious, but I love it! Thank you for sharing, Pauline.
Love this recipe so much. Definitely a favorite. So delicious and comforting.
Absolutely delicious! We’ve been vegan since January, and this soup has become a regular in our rotation. Batch cooling at its best: enough for many meals and you can still freeze half. An immersion blender reduces the steps. I add one can of beans, puree, then add the second can for texture. Instead of kale, we have used fresh and frozen chopped spinach — not kale fans. If you use fresh, you might want to blend again to reduce the size of the leaves. Remove some pasta or you’ll have tiny shards, but it still tastes amazing! Your site is fantastic. Keep on posting!!
A great one to have on rotation! Thank you for sharing your approach to this recipe, Dorrie. I appreciate your review.
Magnifico! I followed the recipe – just added some bell pepper, 1/2 a zucchini, and about 1/2 cup ham cubes. It was delicious! Blending some & adding some fresh lemon juice was brilliant!! During this time we have soup & salad nearly everyday. This was superb!! Thanks!!
Thank you! I’m glad you loved it, CJ.
Firstly, tried your cauliflower flower soup & chai ice cream recipes – both belong in my list of favourite recipes of all time, my GOD. This recipe looks absolutely divine and I hope to make it tonight for our last iftaar of the year – however, I currently don’t have any of these beans at home besides kidney beans and black eyed peas. If necessary, I’ll go out again today looking for large white beans in our area but would it be possible to substitute with black eyed peas? Do they blend well or produce a similar taste profile? Thank you!
Hi Sitara, so glad to hear you’ve been enjoying my recipes! You could sure try this with black-eyed peas, but I think you’d enjoy it more with cannellini or great northern beans (they have a more mild, creamy flavor/texture).
My family love your recipes and this one is another keeper! We started trying to eat a more plant based foods and even the little ones will eat this!
I have literally been dreaming of this dish for a few weeks now, finally made it today! It’s the best, most satisfying bowl of soup I have ever had, that too made by me!! You make the recipes soo soo easy to follow and with just basic ingredients!! My husband who balks at anything vegetarian said it was delicious!!
I am now going to sleep dreaming of eating the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!! thank you!
We just finished dinner and I had to message you right away. I made your Pasta e Fagioli and it was wonderful. I was afraid to make it because the list of ingredients was long and I thought it might be to difficult. It wasn’t! The recipe was very easy to follow. I’m trying to eat more vegetarian meals and your cookbook is a life saver. Thank you for all of your great recipes.