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.
Literally one of the best recipes ever! I’ve made this numerous times over the past few weeks as the weather has started to turn colder. It’s so delicious!!! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Lauren! Thank you for trying it and leaving a review.
I made this soup yesterday! Amazing!
Everything I have made by your recipes always comes out great! Thank you!
I’ve made this recipe twice in the past week. This is our new favorite soup! I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly both times.
Definitely a keeper—though I have yet to try a Cookie and Kate recipe that was a dud.
Hooray, thanks Reb!
This recipe is FANTASTIC!! Thank you so much. I’ve made horrible versions of this soup over the years – total 180. The only change I made is preparing the pasta separately to add per bowl so as not to lose the yummy broth during storage.
I’m glad this one was a winner for you! I appreciate the review.
Another great recipe! Flavorful and healthy! Yum!
I enjoy and look forward to reading and cooking your recipes. I love the fact you are a dog person, no wonder you shine!!. Thank you for sharing your talents with us!!
Best always,
Phyllis
I made pasta fagiole yesterday using a recipe given to me years ago by a sweet Italian mamma. But I was thinking it was missing something so I’m glad I found this recipe of yours and look forward to trying it!! Can you please tell me where does the 7.4 g of sugars come into play? Are they from the broth and/or the pasta? I’m specifically going vegan, and no sugars, gluten or cheese, so I very much appreciate your expert input. Thank you.
Hi Laurie, I’m not quite sure as that is not a recipe I have tried.
Hi Laurie,
Registered dietitian here, just thought I’d help answer your question. The sugars you see in the nutrition facts are primarily from the carrots and tomatoes. These are naturally occurring sugars from whole food. When people limit sugar, they usually refer to added or concentrated sugars. I wouldn’t worry about the natural sugar in this recipe. Hope that helps!
P.S. Kate, I love your site! Your recipes are the BEST and never fail me. Will try this one tonight! :)
Thank you so much, Angie!
I love this recipe, it’s our go to soup for freezing winter nights. I add a spoon of gremolata (chopped parsley, garlic and lemon zest) on top of each bowl when serving, it is delicious!
Like all your recipes I’ve made, this was a big hit with our whole family! Our toddler especially loves it. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Nancy! Thank you for your review.
I love this recipe and so does my family! I didn’t change a thing/ did add fresh grate parm. All of your recipes so far have been so good.
Thanks!
I made this today with chickpeas and farfalline noodles, and I can absolutely see it becoming one of my winter go-tos! I added vegan parm on top and it was the perfect meal for a snowy December day (my omnivore roommates thought so, too).
This is absolutely delicious!! It will surely become a new staple recipe in our home. I love that it contains veggies, carbs and protein for a complete meal :) Thank you Cookie and Kate for another awesome recipe.
Thank you for your review, Marie! I’m glad you loved it.
This was delicious! My husband is not a fan of beans, but loved this soup. We’ll definitely be making this again! Thanks for another great recipe!
Made the soup last week. It was absolutely delicious !!
Will definitely make it again and again!! Thank you!!
Delicious! I subbed spinach for the kale because that’s what I had on hand. It was a hit with the whole family! Thanks!
You’re welcome, Johnna! Thank you for your review.
Enjoying this right now – so delicious and much better than what I used to make years ago! Thanks and Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you as well! I’m delighted you loved it.
Fantastic! I played around a little bit and added a leek with the onion and it was great too! Thank you for sharing this recipe, a go to favorite of mine.
I made this with mustard greens instead of kale, as they were on sale locally here. This soup hit the spot!! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and detailed instructions.
Thank you for sharing, Ann! I appreciate it.
Excellent recipe! Easy to adapt… will definitely make again.
I seriously can’t get enough of this soup! It’s been a staple for me this winter!
I’m delighted to hear that, Danielle!
delicious!! Have made this a few times, and it is loved by everyone in the family, including a very picky teenager.
That’s great to hear! Thank you for sharing, Megan.
So freaking good. I didn’t have kale so I used bok Choy LOL. Still awesome
It’s super good and the best body warmer ever! I substituted radicchio leaves for the kale I didn’t have – I believe Italian cooks would not take offense??
Made this soup today, and it is a SUPER huge hit at my house! I am a soup freak so my loving it isn’t maybe that surprising – but my very very finicky, I-hate-squishy-vegetables 23yo daughter who would honestly report me to adult protective services if I tried to give her soup for dinner (though she will eat it for lunch) decided after she tasted the finished soup this afternoon that she HAD to have THIS soup for dinner, and it was her new favorite soup, end of story. When informed that I was taking some of it to my mother she sniffed, “just not too much, okay?”
Love to hear that! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
Angie, Thank you!! I appreciate the additional information and look forward to trying this recipe!
Wonderful, creative and informative site, Kate. Thank you.
This is delicious. Even my husband, who hates beans and kale ate it. Will make this again for sure!!
I have made many soups over the years and this is one of the best! Love it! Delicious, comforting and nutritious.
First time making this recipe and it came out awesome!! Thank you very much for helping this pregnant woman satisfy her bean craving lol my bf who doesn’t eat vegetables ate it right up.
Definitely will try your other recipes as well.
I love this soup! So flavorful, such a comfort food❤️
How did I miss this recipe earlier? Perfect balance of ingredients. I added a small piece of Parmesan rind while simmering, just a personal preference. Wish I would have doubled the recipe. Thanks for another great meal. So happy to hear Cookie is recovering well. She is such a cutie.
I’m happy you found it, Debbi! Thank you for taking the time to review.
I am a non vegetarian and I really enjoyed this soup! I had to hold myself back from adding panchetta and I’m glad I didn’t! I didn’t feel like blending it so instead I took a potato masher to it and it came out great!
I am a terrible cook but this turned out so well, even for me. I will definitely make it again, thank you!
You’re welcome, Miranda!
Delicious! My whole family loved.
This is amazing! I’ve made this at least 6 times over the past 3 months (also have your lentil soup in rotation). I look forward to eating this soup AND and I feel good about it because I know I’m putting good food into my body. Love your recipes!
Do you think borlotti/cranberry beans would work well with this recipe, or should I stick with white beans? Trying to clean out the cupboard. ;) Looking forward to cooking this either way! Thanks!
Hi! I find the beans listed in this recipe work the best. But you could try them.
I am going to make this MINUS the KALE, Swiss chard, UGH. SORRY, SORRY, SORRY. Never had it NEVER will eat it/them OR play golf. My long ago neighbor whose family owned the Bova Bakery in the North End of Boston made this for me and it NEVER had greens in it, so I feel very justified. After all the family did drink their red wine out of Welches Grape Jelly jars!! I just WISH I had THAT BREAD that I woke up to the aroma of EVERY MORNING!! And I WILL MAKE IT TONIGHT, sans greens!! Mangia!!
This turned out very tasty! I didn’t have crushed tomatoes on hand, only diced. In retrospect I should have put them through the food processor to get that smoother consistency. Regardless of that slip up, the flavours were lovely. We added some parmesan cheese on top and it really added some nice flavour. Thank you for another delicious and cozy recipe for these rainy days!
This was fantastic. It was the best thing to make on a cold and rainy winter day. It seemed like it might be a lot of work at first but it was actually quite easy for a weekend dinner. Thanks for another winner Kate :)
Perfect for a wintery day! Thank you for your review, Hayley.
Amazing recipe, very hearty and warm. Just right for the winters. Do believe in your last recommendation about more lemon and olive oil. Just a dash more made all the difference as I was tasting it.
Thank you, Manish!
I really like this recipe and will make it again – thanks! I topped it with those canned fried onions that typically go on that holiday green bean casserole.
Delicious and filling. Perfect for a cold winter night
I agree! Perfect for a cold night.
We added shredded romano cheese on top. The whole family, including my picky 6 year old, LOVED this recipe! Delicious.
My grandma made a version of this recipe decades ago (she was Italian) and I’ve been making pasta e fagioli myself for a long time. This version is an A++ keeper. Well done! And thanks.
Wonderful, Karen! Thank you for sharing.
This soup was delicious. My family loved it. I will definitely make it again.
That’s great! Thank you for your review, Andrea.
This recipe is absolutely phenomenal. The blender trick to add creaminess without adding cream? Genius!
I followed the recipe step by step but mine became more like a stew. I had to add two cups of water to make it soupy again. I wonder what happened, your recipes are always on point!
I’m sorry to hear that! What type of pasta did you use?
Absolutely delicious!!!
Thank you, Cheryl!
This was yum-yummy delicious! I didn’t change a thing. Well, I did actually. I added some basil and I had a zucchini just sitting there so I added that. It was really good. I LOVE the pureed beans to make the broth thick and bowl-licking good!
Bowl-licking, I love it! Than you for your review.
Thanks for another delicious recipe Cookie (and Kate of course)! Just lovely. Only slight amend I made, was to add half a cauliflower I had left over – I blanched it, pureed it and chucked it in, love love!!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
Made this today on a rainy afternoon and it was amazing! Whole family loved it, including my husband who is an unapologetic carnivore. My 6yo, 4yo, and 1yo all had two helpings too!
A great soup for a rainy day! Thank you for sharing, Jackie.