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Pasta Fagioli Soup Recipe

4.5 from 66 reviews

This hearty and comforting Pasta Fagioli recipe features tender ditalini pasta, creamy cannellini beans, and a flavorful tomato-based broth infused with aromatic herbs and spices. Perfectly balanced and easy to make, it can be prepared on the stovetop, Instant Pot, or crockpot, making it a versatile dish ideal for any season or occasion.

Ingredients

Scale

Main Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 cup quartered carrots
  • 2 15 oz cans cooked cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon dried parsley
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup dry ditalini pasta

Instructions

  1. Heat Olive Oil: In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering to prepare for sautéing the vegetables.
  2. Sauté Vegetables: Add diced onions, minced garlic, and quartered carrots to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes or until the onions become translucent and the vegetables soften.
  3. Add Beans and Seasonings: Stir in the rinsed cannellini beans, tomato sauce, dried basil, parsley, oregano, black pepper, red pepper flakes, vegetable broth, water, and the dried bay leaf.
  4. Bring to Boil: Cover the pot and increase heat to high. Bring the soup to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking, which will take about 10 minutes.
  5. Reduce Heat and Add Pasta: Remove the lid once boiling starts and reduce heat to medium. Add the dry ditalini pasta and stir well, cooking for half the recommended time on the pasta package. Undercooking the pasta is essential as it will continue to soften in the soup afterwards.
  6. Finish and Serve: Discard the bay leaf before serving. Ladle into bowls and enjoy the warm, flavorful pasta fagioli.
  7. Instant Pot Alternative: Set Instant Pot to Sauté for 3 minutes to heat olive oil. Sauté onions, garlic, and carrots for 5 minutes until soft. Add beans, tomato sauce, seasonings, broth, water, and pasta (without stirring), set to high pressure for 2 minutes, then perform quick release. Remove bay leaf and stir before serving. Note: Pasta can easily overcook, so cooking pasta separately is recommended.
  8. Crockpot Alternative: After sautéing vegetables on the stove, add all ingredients except pasta to the crockpot. Cook on low for 4–6 hours. Add raw pasta during the last hour of cooking and cook until al dente. Discard bay leaf before serving. Add more broth if soup thickens too much.

Notes

  • It is critical to undercook the pasta during cooking; it will continue to soften as the soup sits.
  • Discard the bay leaf before serving as it is not edible.
  • Instant Pot and crockpot methods are provided but stovetop yields the best texture for pasta.
  • For Instant Pot, cooking pasta separately is recommended to avoid overcooking.
  • Adjust broth quantity if soup becomes too thick during crockpot cooking.

Keywords: Pasta Fagioli, Italian soup, cannellini beans soup, ditalini pasta, vegetarian soup, tomato bean soup