Creamy Pasta Fagioli Soup ~ "Pasta Fazool" (Italian Pasta with Beans)
Creamy Pasta Fagioli Soup needs little introduction! It’s one of those cozy, homemade recipes with simple ingredients, comforting texture and nostalgia overload. Satisfying, filling, nutritious and delicious, pasta fazool is also very easy and made in one pot!
Servings: 7 servings
Equipment
- Large pot OR
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp olive oil divided
- 2 cups small diced yellow onions
- 3 Tbsp chopped or thinly-sliced garlic
- 1½ Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 1½ Tbsp chopped fresh sage
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 cup white wine
- 9 cups low- or no-sodium vegetable/chicken broth or bean cooking liquid divided
- 4 (15-ounces) cans cooked beans strained and rinsed (about 6 cups beans; dried beans can be used-see Notes.), divided
- 1-2 pieces parmigiano or pecorino cheese rind
- 2-3 bay leaves
- ½ tsp ground black pepper (add more to taste)
- About 1½ cups small pasta (about 8 ounces pasta)
- To taste salt (See Notes.)
- Grated pecorino or parmigiano cheese for serving
- Extra virgin olive oil for serving
Instructions
- Prep all ingredients according to specifications above. Cook the beans if using dried. (See Notes about beans below.)(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)
- Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onions, garlic, chopped herbs and crushed red pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften. Cover the pot to speed up this process if you’d like.2 cups small diced yellow onions, 3 Tbsp chopped or thinly-sliced garlic, 1½ Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary, 1½ Tbsp chopped fresh sage, ½ tsp crushed red pepper
- Next, move mixture to one side of pot and add the tomato paste, caramelizing it for 2-3 minutes.¼ cup tomato paste
- Add wine and deglaze, scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pot.1 cup white wine
- Then, add roughly 3 cups broth (or bean cooking liquid and half (3 cups) the cooked beans and stir well.With the heat on low, use an immersion blender to puree the beans and onion mixture until smooth.NOTE: This acts as a thickener for the soup and gives it body. But, if you prefer a brothy soup, you can skip this pureeing step. (The beans should be tender enough to puree, but if they aren’t, simmer as needed, then puree.)
- After pureeing, add the rest of the broth to the pot along with the cheese rind, bay leaves and black pepper. Stir well.1-2 pieces parmigiano or pecorino cheese rind , 2-3 bay leaves, ½ tsp ground black pepper
- Cover and bring mixture up to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to a simmer and simmer, mostly covered, about 15 minutes. Stir the soup occasionally, ensuring that the cheese rind does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Next, increase heat to bring the mixture to a light boil. Remove and discard the bay leaves and any remaining cheese rind.
- Stir in the remaining 3 cups cooked beans, pasta and remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil.About 1½ cups small pasta
- Simmer, uncovered, until pasta is about 1 to 2 minutes less than al dente, using instructions on pasta package as a guideline, stirring continuously so that pasta doesn’t stick or get clumpy. Taste pasta along the way to monitor its doneness.(NOTE: The pasta will continue to cook and soften once the heat is turned off.)
- Add additional liquid if you want a brothier soup. Add salt to taste, then turn off heat.
- Serve the soup piping hot with a generous sprinkle of grated pecorino or parmigiano cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Buon Appetito!
Video
Notes
This recipe makes a large batch–about 12 to 13 cups soup. I figured on about 1½ cups portion per serving but adjust accordingly. Cut this recipe in half for a smaller yield.
BEANS:
- I used half (canned) cannellini beans and half (cooked from dried) borlotti beans here, but almost any bean can be used in this recipe. Chickpeas, red kidney, navy and black beans are all great alternatives.
- Either canned/jarred cooked beans or dried beans that have been cooked at home can be used in this recipe.
- Be sure to strain and rinse pre-cooked beans well before adding them to the soup.
- If you’re starting with dried beans, pick through them for stones and rinse them. Then you can either:
- Soak them overnight: Place beans in a large bowl covered with four times the amount of water and let them soak for several hours or overnight. After soaking, drain the beans.
- OR,
- Alternatively, bring the dried beans to a boil in a large pot of unsalted water, then turn off the heat and let them sit, covered, for one hour. At this point, it will be as if they were soaked for several hours. Discard this soaking water, then proceed as if they had been soaked overnight.
- Then, cooked the soaked beans in a new pot of unsalted water until tender. Ideally, add aromatics like bay leaves, carrots, onions, celery and garlic to the bean boiling liquid for increased flavor.
- The beans can be cooked in advance and held, covered, in the refrigerator for two to three days until you are ready to use them.
- The soup gets better as it sits, so it is a great option to make ahead of time. It does, however, tend to get thicker as it sits, so, you may want to add some water when reheating.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat it slowly over medium low heat while stirring, adding additional broth or water if needed.
- NOTE: If freezing, know that the pasta portion of the soup may become a bit mushy after thawing, but it will still be so delicious.
- Immerse blender in the liquid before turning it on.
- Keep it moving for best results and do not hold it steady in one place. Immersion blenders do their best work when moved around and tilted while blending. This helps the blender to pick up all ingredients and purée evenly.
- Some people prefer to let hot dishes cool completely before blending (due to the fear of occasional hot splatters). This is up to you, but I promise that your comfort blending with the immersion blender will grow with each use.
