Description
Pasta e Fagioli is like a warm, cozy bowl of deliciousness. It’s the ultimate Italian comfort food. This soup-like pasta is loaded with cannellini beans, pasta and a thick tomato base.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 ounces ditalini pasta, uncooked
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 strips bacon, diced
- 1 carrot, minced
- 1 celery stock, minced
- 1/2 white onion, minced
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cans cannellini beans (rinsed and drained)
- 14 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken stock, plus
- 1 cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley (optional)
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
- Drizzle of olive oil, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot.
- Add the bacon, carrots, celery, onion and rosemary.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook for about 5 minutes to soften the vegetables and render the bacon.
- Add the garlic. Cook for another minute.
- Add two cans of the three cans of cannellini beans (rinsed and drained).
- Add the crushed tomatoes and bay leaf.
- Pour in the chicken stock and water.
- Season again with salt and pepper. Stir.
- Bring almost to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer hard with the lid on for about 30 to 40 minutes (stir often and continue checking the liquid levels).
- Remove the bay leaf and woody rosemary stem.
- Add the remaining can of cannellini beans (rinsed and drained) to a food processor or bowl (if using an immersion blender) with a spoonful of the broth. Pulse until thickened.
- Pour and mix into the soup.
- Stir in the uncooked pasta.
- Cook until the pasta is al dente.
- Taste for salt.
- Stir in the fresh parsley.
- Ladle into soup bowls.
- Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil
- ENJOY!
Equipment
Notes
- Substitute the ditalini pasta with elbow macaroni, small shells or a small pasta shape.
- Use gluten-free pasta to make this a Gluten-free Pasta Fagioli
- Replace the bacon with pancetta.
- Eliminate the bacon to make this a vegetarian soup.
- Tomato sauce or tomato passata can be substituted for the crushed tomatoes.
- Allow the base to simmer hard for at least 30 minutes to develop the flavors and thicken.
- Blend one can of the beans with a bit of the soup to thicken the soup.
- If the soup is too thick, add a touch more stock, crushed tomatoes or water.
- Cook the pasta just to al dente.
- Add your favorite garnishes, fresh basil would also be great!
- Serve with crusty bread and/or a side salad for an easy dinner.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Soup, Bisque
- Method: Easy
- Cuisine: Italian