You’re going to love my Pasta Fagioli recipe, loaded with ditalini pasta, cannellini beans, pancetta, vegetables, and a deliciously flavorful tomato broth. This hearty soup is the perfect addition to your dinner table!
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If you’ve never heard of this Classic Italian Soup, let me start by sharing how to pronounce its name correctly. Can you say Pasta Fazool?
This easy-to-make traditional Italian soup is a satisfying dish that will warm your body and your soul. Our pasta fagioli recipe is the ultimate comfort food.
There are as many pasta fagioli recipes as there are Italian grandmothers, and each one will have its own special touch. So, feel free to adjust this pasta fagioli recipe to fit your palate.
Ingredients
Gather the ingredients to prepare our pasta fagioli recipe. Culinary professionals call this the “Mise en Place,” which means “everything in its Place.”
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also ensures you have all the necessary ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
I use whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes (crushed by hand or with an immersion blender) for all my cooking, but you can substitute your favorite crushed tomatoes or even tomato sauce (not pasta sauce). And while ditalini may be traditional, feel free to use another tiny pasta shape—elbow macaroni also works well.
*If you’re not a fan of heat, leave out the red pepper flakes.
Can I add meat to pasta Fagioli?
Yes, you can. Olive Garden’s pasta e fagioli has meat. You can use lean ground beef, ground turkey, or sweet or spicy Italian sausage in your soup.
Bacon can also be substituted for the pancetta.
How to Make Pasta Fagioli
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make pasta fagioli in your home kitchen.
- Add the olive oil and pancetta to a large pot over medium heat. Cook until the pancetta is beginning to crisp. Remove the pancetta and place it on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Save until needed.
- Add the celery, carrot, onion, and leek to the pot. Cook until the veggies begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the pancetta back into the pot along with the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the hand-crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper to the soup pot. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the cannellini beans and al dente pasta to the soup and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low, add the thinly sliced chard (or greens of your choice) and Romano cheese (or freshly grated Parmesan cheese) to the soup, and simmer for 10 minutes.
*If you want to keep the soup vegetarian, substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth. You can also use beef broth for a different flavor profile.
*When it comes to the variety of canned beans to use, I prefer cannellini beans. That said, any creamy beans, from red kidney beans to great northern beans, butter beans, or even black beans, will work well.
*Pro-tip: Adding parmesan rind to the soup while cooking can give it a savory flavor.
Our pasta fagioli soup is finished except for one final taste to make sure the seasonings are good. Adjust the seasonings as needed before serving it solo or with a side of crusty bread.
*If you aren’t going to use all the soup in one setting, or intend to freeze some of the soup, DO NOT ADD all the pasta to the pot. Instead, place the pasta in the serving bowls and ladle the very hot soup over it. Place leftovers of this hearty Italian soup in an airtight container to enjoy the next day.
Garnish the Pasta Fagioli soup with chard ribbons, grated Romano cheese, and freshly ground black pepper.
Our pasta fagioli recipe makes the perfect light dinner, lunch, or starter for an Italian feast!
Recipe FAQs
Pasta Fagioli can contain meat, but you can easily omit it for a simple vegetarian recipe.
The two soups are very similar. The primary difference between the two is that the pasta fagioli contains meat, while the minestrone does not.
No, you don’t. Different regions make this classic Italian soup differently. Some recipes don’t call for tomatoes. Just add extra broth to replace the tomatoes.
Ditalini is the preferred pasta for this Italian soup, but any small pasta shape, such as tubetti, anelli, small macaroni, or small shells, can be substituted.
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Pasta Fagioli Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 ounces pancetta diced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 carrots peeled – small dice
- 4 stalks celery small dice
- 1 small onion small diced
- 1 large leek rinsed – small dice(white and light green sections only)
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves only
- 28 oz peeled whole tomatoes I use San Marzano
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon sea salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper to taste
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- ½ pound ditalini pasta cooked
- 1 head rainbow chard or your favorite green, cut into small ribbons. Reserve some for the garnish
- 1 cup Romano cheese more to serve with soup
Instructions
- over medium heat. Heat the olive oil and sauté the pancetta until golden brown. Remove and place in a paper towel-lined plate to soak up the excess grease. Reserve.
- Add the onion, leek, carrot, and celery, sautéing until softened, about 5 minutes. Then, stir in the minced garlic and cook for a minute or two, or until fragrant.
- Add the pancetta back into the pot.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes
- Add the beans and pasta to the soup and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes
- Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
- Reduce the heat to low, add the thinly sliced chard (or greens of your choice) and Romano cheese to the soup and simmer for 10 minutes.*Reserve some of the chard for a garnish.
- Garnish with chard ribbons, grated Romano cheese and freshly ground black pepper. Serve and enjoy!
ELIZABETH GIERMAN says
I made this hearty soup. It was delicious!!! I added a few of my own tweaks. I didn’t have any pancetta, so I used bacon. I also used just a little of pasta sauce that I had leftover and, crushed up some leftover meatballs. I couldn’t get warm that day, but after I devoured the soup, my innards were warmed up. Thank you so much for your recipe! I will continue to follow up on your great recipes. Thanks again Chef Dennis.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the soup and that used what you had on hand and tweaked it to your preferences! Thats what cooking is all about!
Shauna Callens says
Just like my Grandma-s! What fond memories!
Shauna C.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear my pasta Fagioli was as good as your Grandma!
Denise says
This soup was fabulous! The only thing I did differently was I cooked it little bit longer than the recipe called for. The aroma was amazing! Thank you for sharing!