Pasta Fagioli
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Teeming with vegetables, beans, and pasta, hearty pasta fagioli soup is the perfect cozy meal for a chilly night.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
Pasta Fagioli, literally meaning “pasta and beans” (and pronounced “pasta fa-jo-lee” or “pasta fa-zhool,” depending on the region) is a quintessential Italian comfort food, perfect for those chilly nights that call for something cozy and hearty. This particular version, adapted from Joe Cicala, executive chef at Cicala in Philadelphia, and featured in The Washington Post, is truly the best I’ve tried.
The soup begins with a flavorful mix of pancetta and vegetables, simmered in wine and broth, and finishes with pasta and beans. But what really makes the soup special is the way the broth is enriched: a portion of the soup is puréed and stirred back in, lending a satisfying texture and a depth of flavor that makes the soup a meal in itself. Serve it with focaccia and a big Italian salad, and you’ve got a meal that will warm you up and make you happy.
Table of Contents
“AMAZING!! This was an absolute gem of a soup to make, with very rich and complex flavors. Loved the thickening trick as well! I am Italian and have had many versions of pasta fagioli, but this one is my favorite.”
What You’ll Need to Make Pasta Fagioli
- Olive Oil: Used for sautéing vegetables, adding a subtle, fruity undertone to the soup’s base.
- Pancetta: Italian cured pork belly, similar to American bacon but not smoked, adds a rich, savory flavor. Available pre-diced near the deli section or at the deli counter for convenience.
- Onion, Carrots, Celery, Garlic: This classic vegetable mix creates a flavorful foundation for the soup, offering sweetness, aroma, and depth.
- White Wine: Adds a hint of acidity and complexity to the soup. Choose an inexpensive bottle that’s still good enough to drink.
- Chicken Broth: The liquid base of the soup, contributing both richness and depth.
- Cannellini Beans or Chickpeas (or a Combination): These legumes bring heartiness, texture, and protein to the dish.
- Dried Lentils: Add nutritional value, earthy flavor, and heartiness to the soup. French green lentils (lentilles du Puy) are preferred for their ability to hold their shape, but any brown or green lentils will work.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes: Provide acidity and brightness, balancing the soup’s rich flavors.
- Bay Leaves and Fresh Rosemary: These herbs infuse the soup with aromatic and herbal notes.
- Pasta: Small pasta like elbow macaroni, ditalini, or orzo makes the soup more substantial.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano: This cheese lends a nutty, salty flavor to the soup.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by heating the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large pot, then add the pancetta.
Cook until the fat begins to render, about 5 minutes.
Add the onions, carrots, and celery.
Cook until the onions become translucent, then add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Pour in the wine and cook until almost evaporated.
Next, add the broth, salt, pepper, beans lentils, tomatoes, bay leaves and rosemary, and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the lentils are tender, 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the type of lentils you used. Use a ladle to transfer about one cup of the beans and a little broth to a blender. Remove the center knob so steam can escape. Hold a paper towel or kitchen towel over the opening to prevent splatters. Purée until smooth and set aside.
Meanwhile, add the dried pasta to the simmering broth.
Cook until the pasta is tender, then add the reserved purée back to the pot. The broth will be slightly thickened from both the pasta starch and the purée.
If the soup seems too thick, thin it with a bit of water. Stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with more cheese, if desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but it’s best to do so before adding the pasta, as pasta can become mushy when frozen and then thawed. Freeze the soup in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Before serving, defrost the soup in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat on the stovetop over medium heat until simmering, add the pasta, and cook until the pasta is tender. (The beans may have soaked up some of the broth while frozen, so add more broth to thin out the soup, if necessary.)
Yes, you can make this soup vegetarian by substituting the chicken broth with vegetable broth and omitting the pancetta. To maintain the savory depth of flavor in the vegetarian version, consider adding a Parmigiano Reggiano rind while the soup simmers. The rind imparts a rich, umami flavor that enhances the broth beautifully.
This soup will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. However, keep in mind that the pasta and beans will continue to absorb the broth over time, so they may become softer and the soup thicker. If you don’t plan on serving the soup immediately, I recommend cooking the pasta separately and adding it to individual servings.
Video Tutorial
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Pasta Fagioli
Teeming with vegetables, beans, and pasta, hearty pasta fagioli soup is the perfect cozy meal for a chilly night.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 ounces pancetta, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 medium carrots, finely diced
- 2 medium ribs celery, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup white wine
- 6 cups chicken broth
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans cannellini beans or chickpeas (or a combination), drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup dried lentils, rinsed (preferably French green lentils, but any green or brown lentils are fine)
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, with their juices
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- ¾ cup pasta, such as elbow macaroni or ditalini
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the pancetta and cook until the fat begins to render, about 5 minutes. Add the onions, carrots and celery and increase the heat to medium; cook, stirring frequently, until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly so the garlic doesn't burn.
- Add the wine and cook until it has nearly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, salt, pepper, beans, lentils, tomatoes, bay leaves, and rosemary. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the lentils are just tender, 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the type of lentils you used.
- Use a ladle to transfer about 1 cup of the beans and veggies and a little liquid to a blender. Remove the center knob so steam can escape. Hold a paper towel or kitchen towel over the opening to prevent splatters. Purée until smooth and set aside.
- Add the pasta to the pot and stir to incorporate. Turn the heat up to a gentle boil and cook until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, 8 to 12 minutes depending on the type of pasta you used (follow timing on the package). The soup will thicken a bit by the time the pasta is cooked. Fish out and discard the bay leaves.
- Stir the reserved puréed mixture into the soup. (If you're having a hard time getting the mixture out of the blender, remove as much as you can with a rubber spatula, then add some of the hot soup broth to the blender and swirl around to loosen it up; it should come right out.) Cook briefly, until the soup is heated through.
- Remove the soup from heat and stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano. If the soup seems too thick, gradually add 1 to 2 cups of water or chicken broth and thin to the desired consistency (the longer the soup sits on the stove, the thicker it will get). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with more cheese, if desired. Note that as the finished soup sits on the stove, the pasta and beans will continue to soak up the broth. If it gets too thick, you can thin it with a bit of broth or water.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: This soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. However, keep in mind that the pasta and beans will continue to absorb the broth over time, so they may become softer and the soup thicker. If you don't plan on serving the soup immediately, I recommend cooking the pasta separately and adding it to individual servings. The soup can also be frozen, without the pasta, for up to 3 months. Before serving, defrost the soup in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat on the stovetop over medium heat until simmering, add the pasta, and cook until the pasta is tender. (The beans may have soaked up some of the broth while refrigerated or frozen, so add more broth to thin out the soup, if desired.)
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Serving size: About 2 cups
- Calories: 691
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 81g
- Sugar: 7g
- Fiber: 17g
- Protein: 36g
- Sodium: 1214mg
- Cholesterol: 26mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Delicious. I used one can of cannelloni beans and doubled the lentils. A perfect soup for a cold night. Thank you, Jen, for sharing your amazing recipes.
Hi Jenn,
can’t wait to try this recipe.
I need a few thing from the store
first. my question is,can I omit the
lentils a still get the same great results?
That’s fine, Anna – the lentils do add body to the soup but it will still be delicious without them.
Wow. Finally a recipe that tastes good. Can’t wait to try with correct ingredients. Didn’t have green lentils & subbed to yellow split pea. Didn’t have a Rosemary lover in the family subbed with pinch of dried oregano & thyme. I love this soup. Looking forward to find more recipes from you.
This is soup has wonder flavor – one of the best bean soups I’ve had. The wine and green lentils gives it a different twist. I like to cook my pasta separately so the soup was a bit runny. But no worries, just added 2 more cans of cannellini beans. Plus if you don’t want to use pasta, chop up some potatoes – has a wonderful flavor. Fresh rosemary is a must – I will definitely be making this soup again – home run!!
How many medium white potatoes would I use instead of pasta?
Hi Sarah, I’d suggest 1 – 2 small to medium potatoes, diced. Hope you enjoy!
This soup is so flavorful, I love the fresh rosemary and the textures are perfect. It’s a nice hardy soup that doesn’t involve cream or really anything heavy. This will be a new go to for me in the middle of winter.
Is there anyway I could make this in a crock pot
Hi Paul, You could but you’d still need to go through the first few steps on the stovetop so not sure it’d be worth it. Sorry!
Jenn, I make this all the time, love it and have reviewed it. Just took a pot off the stove and I have a question. Since I like to make soups ahead of time, even the day before, do I even need to puree a cup, as it thickens on its own?
Hi Carol, I think it’s fine to leave it as is – this one does thicken up quite a bit after a night in the fridge. Enjoy!
Very good. As with a few other commenters, I would highly recommend cutting back on that 1 tsp salt. I’ll do 1/2 tsp or little less next time. Pancetta adds enough. Also used immersion blender instead of regular blender before adding pasta. Although, do remember to fish out bay leaves first if you use the immersion.
Defiantly the best soup recipe for our family. Even our pickiest eater enjoys this. When I don’t have pancetta, I use bacon, and I use barley instead of pasta for added texture and fiber sometimes. Makes a great meal with crusty bread with big salad. Thank you for your website for so many fantastic and flavorful recipes for our family to enjoy!
This soup is delicious exactly as written. It’s perfect for a cold fall or winter night with some crusty bread. It also makes great leftovers (my husband says it’s better the second day).