Pasta Fagioli Soup is hearty, filling and oh, so delicious! The perfect winter one-pot meal! This Italian favorite is full of rich flavors and loaded with beans, pasta, veggies, and beef in a silky tomato broth.
Why We Love This Soup!
- It’s the perfect winter comfort food! – This Pasta Fagioli, or as it’s often misspelled “Pasta Fazul” recipe is one of our favorites when winter in Minnesota pretty much calls for soup every week! I love that it’s just so full of “stuff.” It’s a complete, balanced meal all in one cozy and comforting bowl. Hearty and filling, it’s the perfect combination of veggies, protein and pasta.
- It’s fast and easy and all in one pot! – Soup for dinner really is a wonderful meal, and Pasta Fagioli is one of the easiest soups to make! Pasta e Fagioli means “Pasta and Beans” in Italian, and it’s full of pantry and refrigerator staples, so I often have everything I need already on hand. It makes a huge pot, easily serving a family of 4 to 6 with leftovers for lunch. You can make it anytime during the afternoon and let it simmer until dinner. It’s all in one pot, allowing you to clean up the kitchen while it cooks and sits ready for you when everyone gets hungry. As Dean Martin said, “That’s amore!”
- The flavor is amazing! – This is a seriously delicious pot of soup! With the Italian flavors and tiny pasta, I often consider it to be a relative of spaghetti and therefore pretty kid-friendly! I do, however, sometimes find a few chunks of tomato and celery left in their little bowls. Still a win!
- If you love this winter recipe, be sure to check out my Tomato Soup with White Beans and Simply Perfect Beef Roast!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Ground Beef or Italian Sausage – I have made this soup with either ground beef or bulk ground Italian Sausage, and both are delicious! You can use more or less than 1 pound, depending on how meaty you like it.
- Onion, Celery, Carrots, Garlic – The veggies provide the base layer of flavor and also a great dose of nutrition, one of the reasons this soup is so hearty and satisfying!
- Salt, Pepper, Italian Seasoning – The simplest of seasonings, these are all you need to amplify all the hearty ingredients in this soup!
- Beans – A classic combination of white and red beans! You can use what you have, navy, great northern, canellini, kidney or any red beans. Just use 1 can red and 1 can white!
- Canned Tomato – I used whole peeled tomatoes and just chopped them on a cutting board. Diced tomatoes would also be fine or even a can of crushed tomato, although I like to have some tomato chunks in my soup. Add in all the juice from the can as well, it combines with the stock to give you that rich velvety broth.
- Chicken Stock – Chicken stock or veggie stock are fine in this recipe.
- Ditalini Pasta – I used 1 and ½ cups of ditalini pasta for this recipe, but you could also sub small pasta shells or orzo if you can’t find ditalini. If you are trying to eat low carb, you could easily lower the amount of pasta to 1 cup or even ½ cup. This would still give the soup it’s signature pasta and bean combination, just be lighter on the pasta. You could, of course, leave the pasta out, but you would have quite a different pot of soup.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1 – Chop your veggies, drain and rinse your beans, and have all other ingredients ready.
Step 2 – Start by browning the beef and adding the veggies to saute along with it. When it is fully browned and your veggies have softened, season the mixture.
Step 3 – Then add everything else, beans, tomato, stock and pasta. Let it simmer, covered for 30 to 40 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through. That’s it! In that time, the pasta cooks, and the juice from the tomato combines with the stock to form that delicious silky red broth, and all the flavors marry together. Enjoy with fresh parsley, shredded Parmesan and crusty bread!
Tips
- Make Ahead Instructions – A big pot of soup is a great make ahead meal prep for the week! Just store it in airtight containers, preferably glass, and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. You could also make it ahead but skip simmering it, store it in the fridge in the soup pot, and then simmer the whole thing for 30 minutes to finish cooking on the night you want to eat it.
- Can I freeze Pasta Fagioli Soup? – Yes! Cool your containers overnight in the fridge first, then freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Wait to add the pasta if you plan to let the soup simmer on the stove longer than 30 minutes or if you want to make this in a slow cooker. All the other ingredients would be fine to simmer on low but the pasta will overcook if it sits too long.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pasta Fagioli Soup healthy?
Yes! Pasta Fagioli Soup starts with a healthy base of meat and lots of vegetables. It is full of fiber from the beans and a very balanced meal all in one. If you want to make it even healthier, make it a soup and salad night!
Can I make Pasta Fagioli Soup vegetarian or vegan?
Yes! You can leave out the meat and just saute your veggies in a bit of olive oil, and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. The veggies and beans make this a very hearty soup, so keeping it vegetarian is a great option. Without the meat it is also vegan, as long as you don’t top it with Parmesan.
More Favorite Comfort Foods!
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Pasta Fagioli Soup
Ingredients
- ½ to 1 pound ground beef (or bulk Italian Sausage)
- 1 small onion chopped (about 1 cup)
- 3 ribs celery chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 carrots shredded (about 2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 grinds fresh black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 15oz can cannellini or any white beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15oz can kidney or red beans drained and rinsed
- 1 28oz can diced or whole tomatoes, chopped with juices
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups water
- 1½ cups ditalini pasta
- chopped parsley for garnish optional
- Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- In a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat, brown the beef. As it's browning, move it to one side of the pot and saute the onion, celery and carrot in the other side using the fat from the beef. About 15 minutes, season with salt and pepper.
- When beef is browned and veggies are softening, add garlic and Italian Seasoning.
- Add all other ingredients, cover, lower heat to medium low. Simmer 30 to 40 minutes or until pasta is cooked.
- Garnish with parsley and serve with Parmesan cheese. As the soup sits, you may need to add another cup of water if it becomes too thick.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions – A big pot of soup is a great make ahead meal prep for the week! Just store it in airtight containers, preferably glass, and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. You could also make it ahead but skip simmering it, store it in the fridge in the soup pot, and then simmer the whole thing for 30 minutes to finish cooking on the night you want to eat it.
- Freezer Instructions – Cool your containers overnight in the fridge first, then freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Wait to add the pasta if you plan to let the soup simmer on the stove longer than 30 minutes or if you want to make this in a slow cooker. All the other ingredients would be fine to simmer on low but the pasta will overcook if it sits too long.
Lisa says
Can beef stock be used instead of chicken broth? If burger is used wouldn’t that make sense?
Meryl Downing says
Yes, I think beef stock would be fine!
Shilpa says
Great recipe
Kayla DiMaggio says
I love a good pasta e fagioli soup! It is so warming and hearty, this recipe was delicious!
Ellen says
I made this yesterday – it was great!
Meryl Downing says
Thanks Ellen, so glad you liked it!
Cynthia Trowbridge says
Can I use orzo instead
Meryl Downing says
Yes! Orzo would work great too!
Paula says
Crock pot friendly?
Meryl Downing says
Hi Paula,
I have never made this soup in a crockpot but YES you absolutely could. You would need to brown the beef first, then add all other ingredients except the pasta. The only issue I see will be taking care not to overcook your pasta. So, if you plan to make this in the morning and then go to work all day, unattended, add everything except the pasta and cook on LOW, then add your pasta right when you get home, turn up to high and eat when the pasta is done (taste one to check). OR if you are going to be home, I don’t think the soup would really need to cook that long. You could brown the beef, then add everything else including the pasta, either set to high or low, depending on how fast you want it to be done, and just eat it when the pasta is cooked. My guess is on low, this would take 4 hours and on high maybe 2 hours, but I haven’t tested these times. Hope this helps!