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 was such a yummy and satisfying soup. The puréed beans made it really creamy. I used fresh spinach as my greens and white Northern beans. Will definitely make this recipe again and again!
I love this hardy, tasty stew like soup. I also find it is a great soup to gift when meal help is needed. Flavor and seasoning is very good. Pureed a portion of the beans and veggies makes for a creamy flavorable finish. It makes a lot, stores and reheats well.
I have made this several times and it never fails to please. Important to chop veggies small so they get cooked.
This was delicious! Made it tonight. All I had on hand was frozen spinach but added at the end and it was delicious :)
Kate’s soups are my favorite entrees and meals of all time, including this Pasta e Fagioli. There’s something about the soup base of these recipes that makes them so decadent and delicious (possibly the secret of blending soup to make it creamier)! I used tomato sauce instead of crushed tomatoes because that’s all I had on hand, but otherwise followed the recipe to the letter. It turned out fantastic! I would definitely recommend scaling back on the red pepper flakes if sensitive to spice – I only used half the recommended amount and it was just the right amount for me, but a bit spicy nonetheless. I also froze half of it in individual jars, and it thawed perfectly. This recipe, like all of the soup recipes I’ve tried from this blog, was a win for me! Perfect for meal prep too! Thanks, Kate! :)
I love to hear that, Samantha! I’m happy you enjoyed it and appreciate your feedback. I know others will find that helpful.
I made the recipe but added chopped red pepper and mushrooms. I also added 2T of tomato paste. I added the 4 cups of broth but not the additional 3 cups of water. This made it a thick stew like consistency which my wife enjoyed. I will add more water when we reheat it. I love great vegetarian soups such as this. Bellissimo!
Yum! This is such a great soup. We used 1 can of chickpeas and 1 of red kidney beans, and topped it with a vegan walnut “parm.” My partner just said it’s better than her Italian mother’s version!
Sounds delicious, Mari! Thank you for sharing.
Love it! I use an old family recipe which is very similar only a few differences.
Fresh parsley replaces the carrots (although I kept them in to see) loved it!
Pinto beans
And you MUST RINSE ( I didn’t argue with Nonna) any can used in the recipe with red wine. Add to soup. Serve with homemade bread and
Mangiare, mangiare!!
I made this with Tuscan kale before (delicious!), but made it with chard tonight as the kale was out of season. I must say that it turned out pretty delicious with chard! Like, pasta fagioli the summer edition. The chopped stems added a bit of crunch and texture, and the colours (‘t was rainbow chard) made it look really pretty too! This was one big bowl of pure bliss. Thanks again!
I love this recipe but need to watch my sodium. I buy salt-free tomatoes and beans & back off a bit on added salt. It is still delicious.
Came out wonderful! I’ve made more than a few pasta & bean soups over the years and this has to be my all time favorite, thanks so much for the recipe.
This recipe was a hit in our house! Your recipes have so much flavor, and this recipe was no exception. Delicious!
incredible recipe! I didn’t have garlic (I know! blasphemy!) so I added sun dried tomatoes to the base and as a topping and WOW. And I made it with half a cup of quinoa because I’m gluten free. SO GOOD. I also doubled the celery because fiber and you’d never know it. REALLY good soup!
Thank you for sharing, Kimmy!
Made the pasta e Fagioli this evening. Really enjoyed. Certainly a bit different than my Italian family’s version but I liked it a lot. Like another review here I also added some Italian sausage (mild) cooked and broken apart. (Approx 1/2 pound)
Not necessary but a nice addition.
I’m happy you were still able to enjoy it, Liana! Thank you for your feedback.
I’m a college student who had never cooked before moving out. It’s been 2 years now so I’ve improved a lot, but I used to rely heavily on recipes & some can turn out really bad…Any time I look something up & I see that it’s from your blog, I know it’ll turn out good! Thanks for all the great recipes.
Halved this since I’m only one person & didn’t want an ungodly amount of soup. Still gave me a decent amount of leftovers to have throughout the week! Love this recipe since it feels balanced (protein, carbs, & veggies all in one bowl!) & it came out delicious!
I’m glad the blog has been helpful for you, Trisha. I appreciate your review.
This recipe was an absolute hit. It was packed with flavor, and everyone looked forward to the leftovers.
Hooray, Kaedi! Thank you for your review.
It was great. I thought it was great. It was surprisingly good.
This recipe deserves 5 stars. Made this dish in the past and this is by far the best. Used all ingredients except parsley and lemon juice and rather than crushed tomatoes, I used a can of diced. This definitely will become a weekly meal in this house.
I have never left a review… anywhere. But this soup was bonkers good. We are having an unseasonable August rainy, cold snap and were craving soup. I am swimming in San Marzano tomatoes from my garden so diced those and used instead of canned tomatoes. We also have a bumper crop of arugula so used that instead of kale and just put in bottom of bowl and poured soup on top. My 5 year old son ate TWO bowls of this and then announced he likes tomatoes if they taste like this. Thank you!! This is on permanent rotation, along with most of the recipes in your cookbook. So easy and utterly delicious.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Summer! I appreciate your review.
I made this soup today, it is delicious!! It has so much flavor. Blending the portion of soup really makes it creamy and melds all the flavors together. I made a few small swaps based on what I had in the kitchen. I used fire roasted canned tomatoes, half a dry red chili (seeds removed). I also used a splash of apple cider vinegar with the pasta and kale since I was out of lemon. It really is a hearty bold soup perfect as a standout meal, that just happens to be vegan :)
I’m glad you loved it, Sara! Thank you for your review.
I just made this for lunch. It’s amazing that something that took barely an hour to prepare tastes like I spent all day cooking it. I will admit that I made a few changes: I added a pound of 93% lean ground turkey, which I browned at the beginning, left out the greens (which I would have loved, but I have a spouse who hates greens), added a 15 oz. can of tomato sauce, and used 4 cups of homemade chicken broth but no water. I wanted a thicker soup, so I figured the tomato sauce and broth would give me the right about of liquid. I think the three keys to this recipe are (1) pureeing part of the beans with some of the soup, (2) cooking the pasta in the soup, and (3) finishing with olive oil and lemon juice. The first two give it the thickness and richness that make it seem like you spent hours cooking it, and the last one balances all the flavors. This was so good that I didn’t even realize I had forgotten to garnish it with grated parmesan until I started to write this comment. That’s high praise from me because I think everything is better with parmesan cheese! Now I can’t wait to try the leftovers with the parmesan. Finally, I think the best thing about this recipe is that it lends itself to adjustments very easily. Thank you for sharing this five-star recipe!
Thank you I did find it. Also lots of salt so I have to figure out a way to reduce the salt. Recipe looks fantastic. All my life being Italian I never had pasta visual with kale or escarole.
Thank you
Caroline DeMiro
? Did you cook pasta separately or add to soup.
How many people does 1x pasta fagolie serve?
Hi Caroline! The servings can be found in the header of the recipe, or in the nutritional information. This recipe is 6 servings.
My friend made this soup last night. She added a butternut squash, just because. Honestly it was so good, on so many levels! She did not purée and it was a bowl full of delicious chunkiness. So many flavors. My friend Sarah added some chicken sausage so her dad would eat it. He ate two bowls. She also added some fresh lemon zest as wee as the juice. She also added some brown rice fettuccine pasta since I am gluten free. I went to bed dreaming about this soup! Cookie and Kate, you are a genius in the kitchen!
i kinda modified this to just make pasta with beans (garlic, chilli, onions, tomatoes pureed, spinach) and it was soo good! beans and pasta are so wonderful together
De-lic-ious! Even my picky eater asked for seconds. I added vegan bacon to mine and it was a hit. Thank you so much!! This is going in our meal rotation.
You’re welcome! I’m glad even the picky eater loved it, Karyn. I appreciate your review.
Came home from a great weekend and didn’t want pizza from the local shop. I decided to just throw this together and wait until it was done to enjoy my evening meal. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I’m glad you loved it, Eva! I appreciate your review.
I’ve made this several times, but recently made it for the first time in the instant pot, cooking the noodles separately. It’s even better in the instant pot. Lots of parmesan on top is a must!
Thank you for sharing! I’m happy it turned out for you, Leah.
I plan on making it in the Instant Pot, did you have to modify any of the cooking time or the amount of liquid added?
I did three or four cups of liquid for 10 min on high pressure. I also cooked the pasta separately. Delicious!!!
This is hands down the best Pasta Fagiole recipe I’ve ever tried! I made it in the slow cooker, added the kale and lemon juice in during the last 15 minutes before serving, and cooked the ditalini pasta separately, adding it in the individual bowls before ladling the soup. Easy and delicious!
I didn’t have the fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, (can’t wait to try it with them next time, though), so I used some regular crushed tomatoes and added 2 T of tomato paste to give it a little more depth of flavor.
Thank you for sharing, Paula! I’m glad it turned out well for you.
This soup was SO DANG GOOD. Can’t stop eating it, especially with a nice piece of crusty bread bc carbs.
This will be on repeat this winter, thanks Kate!!!
You’re welcome, Melissa! I’m glad you loved it.
What does everyone do to deal with the bloated, soggy pasta in soups the next day?
Hi Kimberly, you can add extra broth. Or store the noodles separately if you prefer.
I made this soup for the third time today and decided it was finally time to leave a review because I just love it!! It is so delicious and the lemon and olive oil at the end really enhance the flavor palate. I do notice the ditalini soaking up all the broth by day two but I’m sure that could be solved by just using less pasta.
This was delicious and so simple. I can always count on your recipes to satisfy my belly!
I’m glad you trust my recipes, Gina!
Hi Kate! I’m excited to make this recipe for dinner tonight, as I have everything on hand except the kale. Can I substitute fresh spinach?
Sure, you can try it! I hope you love it, Karen.
Thank you for sharing recipe, soup is fantastic as a course or alone. I love the lemon juice kick. Delish & easy. I also add hard boiled egg whites (for protein). Cheers Grace
Just made this tonight and it’s a hit! It’s the perfect soup for a cold, blustery November evening. The lemon juice brightens up the broth and adds a delighful zing. Blending some of the beans made it rich andcreamy (I have to remember this step for other soups.) Thank you for another awesome recipe!
You’re welcome!
Wonderful – made for dinner tonight and will be bringing some to our older neighbor as well. Delish! More depth of flavor to the base than my usual recipe.
Thank you for your review, Bonnie!
Doubled the pasta and used whole wheat sfoglini. The whole family loved it—even my very picky son! Delicious!
This soup is so flavorful and robust, and very easy to make. I couldn’t get enough.
I made this soup last night for dinner as instructed. Fabulous. Full of flavor. I would not change a thing. Love your recipes, Kate!
This is truly delicious. I use Kate’s recipes all the time and this is yet another fave!
I’m glad you loved it, Nicole!
Excellent! Only comment is to add the pasta in the last 15 minutes so it doesn’t overcook. Also serve with some grated Parmesan.
This is one of the best soup recipes I’ve ever tried! Perfect for a cold, rainy day. Usually I have to at least double the herbs/spices for my taste, but this was perfect (I may have used a bit more red pepper flakes, because I love spice!). I almost skipped the step of blending some of the beans and soup, but very glad I didn’t because the texture of the soup comes out so lovely. I used chickpea pasta to give it a bit more protein. The lemon juice at the end really made a difference too. I will be making this one again and again!
From my husband, “I never leave reviews, but we should for that. Definitely a do- over”. Fantastic
Hooray! Thank you for taking the time to review, Shawna. I’m excited you both loved it.
You did it again! Love this, full of flavor and I enjoy the texture with the beans, pasta, kale and the consistency of the soup.
This is delicious and super easy to make. Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome, CB!
I made this and it was really good. I good 4 thumbs up out of 6, which, the other 2 are so picky they don’t count lol. I did blend all the beans so my one who won’t eat beans didn’t know they were in there. Question: I cook it until nearly ready and then put it into the crockpot to be ready at all different times (when kids activities mess up a true family dinner). When should I add the lemon juice and oil if I do that? I forgot it on my first try and it was still good but if I wanted to add it next time?
Hi Sarah! You add that at the end once you remove it from the heat. I’m glad it was a hit with most! Thank you for taking the time to review.
This was really good! I couldn’t get kale at my local grocery so I had to use frozen spinach (defrosted and squeezed). I did blend it as suggested and I’m glad I did. I think the texture was excellent. Next time I’m going to try kale and chickpeas. I’ll definitely make this again!
Thank you for sharing, Jamie! I’m glad you are going to make it again.
Hello is the sodium content on this recipe (1267.8) per serving?
Hi Brandon, The nutrition information is per serving. Please refer to my Nutrition Disclaimer
Amazing recipe!! I used cannelloni beans, cavatelli, fire-roasted tomatoes and double the garlic. This was so good that as soon as my family finished eating I made another batch to have in the fridge. Finished off with some freshly grated Parmesan. Perfect for a winter dinner! Served with roasted broccoli and a salad. Will absolutely make again – but just double it from the start!
Thank you for an incredible, easy and healthy dinner recipe!!
Thank you for your comment and review, Melissa! I appreciate your review.
Planning to make this tonight (Christmas Eve) and tomorrow, your quinoa broccoli casserole will be on the table. Thank you for sharing delicious veggie-forward dishes that don’t leave you missing anything! Merry Christmas!
This was delicious! Love how creamy and flavorful it turned out. This is going to be a keeper.
I’m glad you loved it! I appreciate your review.
This is our absolute favorite pasta Fagioli recipe! Thank you so much! Truly a magical meal for any chilly night! We make it weekly!!
This was my first recipe to try from your site and now a “go to” for cold winter nights. It comes out perfect every time and the entire family loves it. This spurred me to buy the (beautiful) cookbook. Thanks, Kate!
Welcome, Kris! I’m glad this soup will be a go-to. I appreciate your review.
I love your recipes but I made the Pasta e Fagioli tonight and it was really lacking flavor. It looks delicious and I had no problem following the recipe but it was not a hit with my family. I’d love to know how to give in more flavor and have my family rave about it. A few days ago I made Pasta alla Norma and it was delicious and you burrito bowls are some of our favs! I would love to hear your suggestions. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes you share.
Jill
Hi Jill, I’m sorry to hear that. Sometimes if your spices aren’t fresh, you need more to make up some lacking flavor. I hope you can try it again!