Pasta Fagioli Soup

One of the most warming and cozy soups, Pasta Fagioli Soup is prepared with canned cannellini beans, canned tomato sauce, store-bought vegetable stock, dried herbs and seasonings, and a box of pasta. Needless to say, most of the ingredients just might be in your pantry already! About 30 minutes from start to finish is all you need!

I’m squeezing one last soup recipe out of what’s left of this cooler weather! Pasta Fagioli Soup reminds me of the type of soup my mom used to make. She had a go-to turkey soup recipe that she would make quite often, and she would always add diced tomatoes and some type of pasta shape to it. I grew up eating soups that were quite thick and hearty, not the type where you have to fish around in the bowl of broth to find a vegetable or two.

Nope, soup recipes in our home were much like this one! Remember the commercials for Campbell’s Chunky? The slogan was “Soup so thick you can eat it with a fork!” That was my mom’s soup. Speaking of Campbell’s this Alphabet Vegetable Soup is very thick! Some of my other thicker-style soups are this Vegetarian Split Pea Soup, this Hamburger Soup, and this Chunky Vegetable and Spinach Soup. You can’t go wrong with either one of those!

My Pasta Fagioli Soup combines tomato sauce, vegetable stock, carrots, beans, onions, and garlic with perfectly cooked pasta. When all is said and done, plate up a big bowl of the soup and top it with some freshly grated parmesan and serve it with sliced baguette for dipping. It really doesn’t get any better! What are you waiting for? Let’s make soup!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Olive Oil 
• Onion – I use yellow, white, and sweet onions interchangeably.  Either of them will do just fine.
• Garlic – Fresh cloves of garlic add flavour and depth to the soup.
• Vegetable Stock – Use low-sodium vegetable stock to keep the salt levels low.
• Tomato Sauce – Sometimes referred to as tomato passata.
• Canned Crushed Tomatoes
• Tomato Paste
• Italian Seasoning – I use this blend quite often in soups, stews, and pasta recipes. Make your own blend and store it in your pantry. I have a great recipe here!
• Ground Black Pepper and a Bay Leaf
• Carrots – Remember that this is a quick and easy soup. To keep it that way, I used frozen diced carrots. They cook up much faster. If you are using fresh diced carrots, add them to the pot with the onions so that they are fully cooked at the end.
• Cannellini Beans – Honestly, any canned white bean will work. Just drain and rinse them well.
• Pasta – I’m using ditalini, but you can use orecchiette, orzo, or any other small pasta you like.
• Fresh Parsley – Chopped, for garnish.
• Parmesan – For flavour and garnish.

HOW TO MAKE PASTA FAGIOLI SOUP

In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, add the olive oil, onions, and garlic. Stir and cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, water, tomato sauce, canned crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, Italian Seasoning, and ground black pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a low boil.

Once boiling, add the frozen carrots, drained beans, and pasta. Stir well to combine. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is slightly undercooked. Turn off the heat and add the parsley and half of the parmesan cheese. Stir into the soup. Plate and garnish the soup with more parmesan. Serve with crusty bread.

WHITE BEAN OPTIONS

You can certainly use whatever white bean you have on hand for this soup. I used cannellini beans because I like the plumpness and meatiness of them. Other beans that would work well are of course navy beans. Oh, and I should mention that cannellini beans are just a fancy name for white kidney beans, so you can use those too. In fact, in my case, most local grocery stores stock them labelled as white kidney beans.

You can also try great northern beans or even lima beans. To keep things fast and easy, use canned beans. If you’re a purist, you can certainly soak and boil dry beans for your recipe. Otherwise, open a couple of cans and call it a day!

ADD SOME WARMTH!

If I were preparing this soup for just me, I would most certainly add some spiciness and heat to it. Whenever I prepare a dish that I know John.e is going to eat as well, I have to leave out the spice factor because he cannot handle hot food at all.

Now, when I say adding spice and heat to this soup, I’m not just referring to the option of adding in some dried red chili flakes. I know this is an easy addition and an easy go-to for most of us because most of us will have a jar of that somewhere in our pantry. No, I’m talking about something a little better. I’m talking about rotel tomatoes! I make my own rotel tomatoes and always have many jars of them ready to go in my pantry.

Fire-roasted tomatoes and chilies are what make up the bulk of Canned Rotel Style Tomatoes. They can be either mild or spicy, depending on your personal preference. Add a jar of these tomatoes to pasta sauce, chili, casseroles, and even bean dip! The possibilities are endless and the flavour is tremendous! And a jar of these tomatoes would add just the right amount of warmth to this Pasta Fagioli Soup without altering the consistency too much.

RECIPE TIPS & TRICKS

• A heavy-bottomed pot is great for soups and stews. Not only does it hold and distribute the heat more consistently, but it will also help prevent food from burning because of the thick layer between the burner and the actual food. My go-to heavy-bottomed Dutch Ovens are either Le Creuset or Staub.
• If you’re new to cooking in a Dutch oven, keep in mind that they can get really hot. That is why it is important to keep the onions and garlic moving at the beginning of this recipe. It will prevent the garlic from burning. Burnt garlic is bitter and will not taste good at all. If you burn the garlic, let the pot cool, clean it out, and start with fresh garlic again.
• If you would like a completely smooth and creamy soup, you can puree the tomato mixture before adding the pasta. Use a hand-held immersion blender or transfer the soup to a blender. Do this in batches so that the soup does not spill out of the blender!
• If you do blend the soup, you can add a splash of cream and enjoy it immediately. The soup base, without the addition of the pasta, is delicious!

LEFTOVERS AND/OR FREEZING

This recipe does make about five hearty servings, which might be too much or too little, depending on the size of your family. The recipe can easily be halved or even doubled. Just be sure to use a really big soup pot if you’re doubling this recipe! Once everyone has had their fill, you might have some leftovers. If so, you can transfer the cooled soup to a food-safe container and store it in the fridge. It will keep for at least 3-4 days. Otherwise, you can freeze it and it will last for 3 months.

If you do refrigerate or freeze the leftovers, you may need to add a bit of water to the soup when reheating. Start with just a few tablespoons of water at a time to avoid turning the soup into a broth! Of course, if you add more water, you will need to re-season as well.

Once the pasta is stirred into the soup, it will continue to absorb the moisture from the soup, which means the pasta will swell and become thick and soft. If you know you’re going to have leftovers, you can avoid this by portioning out the cooked pasta into soup bowls and ladling the hot soup over top. Each person can stir the pasta into their soup. You can freeze the leftover, pasta-free soup and reheat it accordingly. This is also a great way to prepare the soup ahead of time. Just reheat it and boil some pasta for a very quick and easy weeknight dinner!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!