Maybe it’s the Italian in me, and not everyone has this same memory, but Italian pasta soup, Italian bean soup, Italian soup, Italian vegetable soup, pasta e fagioli, or whatever you want to call it, was a comfort food in my household. I remember my father making it as the snow fell outside. It was warm and delicious. I remember sled riding in the yard and coming in to the inviting smell of this soup.
This recipe gave me the ability to recreate this classic. It’s rich in vegetables that provide excellent nutrition. You can even alter the veggies you want in it to match your family’s tastes.
One of the best parts of this soup is that it’s hearty. You can have it on the side with a sandwich for lunch or as a complement to a main dish for dinner.
If you were typically venturing out to an Italian restaurant to get this soup, you’ll find that it’ll be a thing of the past with this recipe. The recipe is easy to follow and simple to prepare. You’ll find it’s just as tasty, too. To make it really easy, you could purchase nothing but frozen veggies to add so you don’t have to worry about chopping anything besides the onion.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Hearty, so it can work as a main or side dish
- Is an Italian rendition of a vegetable soup
- Doesn’t take much prep time
- Is flavorful
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
While this recipe calls for celery, carrots, and onions, that’s not set in stone. If you want to mix up the recipe and add green beans, you surely can. If you’d like to avoid cutting vegetables altogether, you could purchase a bag of mixed ones. It’s simple to alter this recipe to match what your family likes.
This particular recipe calls for you to chop the carrots. You can also julienne them or use a peeler to create shavings.
The broth to this could be thin or thick. Leave it as is if you’d like it thinner, or add some tomato paste if you want it to be thicker. Keep in mind that the paste will change the taste a bit, so you’ll want to add some extra seasonings if you go this route.
You can even change the types of beans you put in. You can also add borlotti, cannellini, pinto, or navy beans. Or, use one or more of these instead.
Ground turkey or no meat could work in this soup, too.
How to Make It
Before you add your beans, always drain and rinse them. If you don’t, you’ll get the taste of the brine they’re in along with your soup. The thickness of it will also alter the texture of your soup.
Cut all your veggies at once. That way, you can put them in the soup all at one time. Make sure you cut them uniformly so when you cook them, they all cook to the same texture at the same rate.
Ground beef can be quite greasy, depending on how much fat is in it. Make sure you drain it before putting it in the soup.
The recipe calls for you to cook the vegetables along with the meat. If you’d rather have your vegetables soft and not brown, throw them in the soup and let them cook for longer throughout the day. They’ll still be soft but without the grease or brownness.
Tips for Success
You can add the noodles to the broth or cook them separately. If you add the noodles, they’ll suck up the liquid. If you cook them separately, that won’t happen. You can also freeze the soup without the noodles so the soup doesn’t defrost and the noodles become mushy.
In all honesty, this is a simple recipe to make. While it takes some time because the beans need to cook, it doesn’t even take that long overall. Mostly, as long as you watch the vegetables and meat as you cook them so they don’t burn, you should have no problems making this soup taste delicious.
Storage & Reheating
Pasta e fagioli can last in the fridge for three to four days after you make it. Fortunately, if you can’t eat it all in that time, it’s a soup that freezes super well. In fact, once you put it into an airtight container, it’ll last up to three months if you leave the noodles in it. It’ll last even longer if you make them on the side.
To reheat, you can heat it all on the stove or put it in the microwave. On the stove, heat it on medium heat. In the microwave, you can choose to put all the soup in at once or heat it individually in bowls.
Serving Suggestions
If you want a hearty dinner, you can serve this on the side with a main course like chicken parmesan or chicken piccata.
However, for a lunch or a light meal, you can serve a salad on the side. The saltiness of crackers works very well with this soup. Breadsticks or a sandwich are other options.
Sprinkle parmesan on top, or get a block of it to grate over the soup.
Notes
This is a soup I first ate when my grandmother made it. I loved it then. My dad also made this soup for me when I was younger and used her recipe. Once my son had it when we went out to eat, I started making it for him at least once per year. I also make enough to freeze so we can enjoy it during any season. We’ve made it for both lunch and dinner. Since we’re Italian, we’re not above having it for breakfast either.
I even have pictures of him as a toddler digging into the frozen soup with a spoon and eating it like shaved ice. It reminded me of an ice fisherman cutting a hole in the ice to cast his fishing rod.
Italian Bean & Pasta Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Lean Ground Beef or Italian Sausage for more spice
- 4 oz. Pancetta diced (adds a savory, smoky layer to the base)
- 1 cup Ditalini Pasta
- 2 cans Cannellini Beans 15 oz, rinsed and drained
- 1 can Diced Tomatoes 28 oz, (San Marzano style preferred)
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 Large Onion diced
- 2 Carrots diced
- 2 stalks Celery diced
- 4 cups Beef Bone Broth
- 1 small Parmesan Rind the secret to a silky, savory broth
- 1 tsp Dried Rosemary crushed
- 1 tsp Dried Basil
- ½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes optional, for a hint of warmth
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, cook the diced pancetta over medium heat until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
- Add the ground beef to the pot and brown thoroughly. Drain any excess fat if necessary. Stir in the onions, carrots, and celery (the mirepoix), cooking until the onions are translucent.
- Add the garlic, rosemary, basil, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute until the herbs become fragrant.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes, bone broth, and the Parmesan rind. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes to allow the rind to infuse the broth with a rich, salty depth.
- Stir in the rinsed cannellini beans.
- Add the ditalini pasta directly to the pot. Cook for about 8–10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.
