Vegan Pasta Fagioli

Name: Vegan Pasta Fagioli
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6 people
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 cup onion (minced); 2 tablespoons garlic (minced (approx 3 garlic cloves)); 1 cup carrots (minced); 30 oz cooked cannellini beans ((rinsed/drained if using canned)); 15 oz canned tomato sauce; 1 large bay leaf; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional- omit if you don't like spice or add to taste at end); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons fresh basil (minced); 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (minced); 4 cups vegetable stock; 2 cups water; 6 oz elbow pasta (gluten free if necessary)

WW Freestyle Points 4

Calories 288kcal

January 23, 2020 37 Comments

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Healthy Vegan Pasta Fagioli is so cozy and delicious. It’s the perfect nutritious, veggie packed, vegetarian dinner. This is the best pasta fagioli recipe! Made in your instant pot, crockpot or on the stove – it’s simple and tasty!

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If you love cozy, healthy meals – you’ll definitely enjoy this Healthy Vegan Pasta Fagioli. It’s the ultimate comfort food!

Loaded with beans, pasta, and a thick tomato base – it’s delicious + nutritious (the perfect combo!)

Growing up, we would always have pasta fagioli. It was (and still is!) one of my favorite meals. It’s super hearty, while being so good for you, and tasting amazing!

I might be biased, but I think this is the best pasta fagioli recipe! And.. let’s just set the record straight. It’s WAY better than Olive Garden, for those who are asking.

We’re Italian, so we had it all the time – but you might be like… what the heck is pasta fagioli?!

What is pasta fagioli?

Pasta fagioli is a traditional Italian soup/stew made with beans, veggies, and pasta. It originated as a ‘peasant dish’ because it’s made with inexpensive ingredients.

Depending on the region of Italy you’re from, it can be thick like stew, or thinner. Some people add meat to it, while others keep it vegetarian.

No matter how you make it it’s delicious. And if you were wondering how to say it – it’s fah- sool (rhymes with school 🙂 )

Ingredients for Healthy Pasta Fagioli

Pasta fagioli is made with simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry and fridge. This recipe calls for: olive oil, cannellini beans, fresh herbs, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, pasta, broth, water, onions, carrots and tomato sauce!

We used the ‘macaroni’ shape pasta from Trader Joe’s in this recipe. There are many substitutions for this recipe included below under substitutions, please make sure to check them out!

How to make healthy pasta fagioli:

Making healthy pasta fagioli is SUPER simple. You just need to do a little bit of work to chop your veggies, but a food processor can make this *so speedy*

First sauté your veggies, then add your spices + broth.

Stir in your cooked beans + raw pasta, bring to a boil and cook it until it’s al dente!

There are instructions for making pasta fagioli in the instant pot and in the slow cooker included in the recipe below. Both are equally as simple – and the instant pot is the fastest way to make this healthy pasta fagioli.

Tips for making Vegan Pasta Fagioli:

This Vegan Pasta Fagioli is pretty easy to make, but if you’re looking for some time saving tips – these can help you!

Cut your veggies ahead of time -You can keep in the fridge for 24 hours so all you need to do is cook! I also use my food processor to make chopping carrots, onions + garlic SO quick.
Use canned beans- I try to find ones that are low sodium and always rinse/drain them
If using dried beans, make sure to cook them ahead of time. Store in a container in your refrigerator until you’re ready to cook

Substitutions for pasta fagioli:

There are so many ways to customize this healthy pasta fagioli. Here are a few.

Adding meat: If you’re not vegan, you can sauté bacon or pancetta when sautéing your veggies.. It does add flavor, but I honestly prefer it without. Additionally – you can add cooked ground turkey or beef to this soup and it would be delicious! You could also add a parmesan cheese rind to the soup as it cooks, but that is not necessary.
For pasta: You can use any small pasta. Elbows or ‘macaroni’ are my favorite, but ditalini also work, and I’ve even seen people use broken spaghetti!
For beans: I usually use canned cannellini beans to save time. You can cook your own, or sub with navy beans or great northern beans
For broth: If not vegan, you can use chicken stock or bone broth for the liquid in this recipe!
WW Freestyle Note: Save 1.5SP per serving by spraying olive oil instead of pouring it into the pan
Dried Herbs: Substitute 2 tablespoons of fresh herbs for 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.
Dried Beans : If you’d like to use dried beans in this recipe, cook them before adding them to the soup. You’ll need about 1.5 cups cooked beans
Spinach – Chopped spinach is a great addition to this recipe, I add it right before serving!

Storing + Serving Healthy Pasta Fagioli

Just so you know, pasta fagioli is meant to be very thick! You should almost be able to eat it with a fork! If you prefer it more soupy, just add more broth.

Pasta fagioli is best served with a big piece of crusty bread, and lots of parmesan cheese! If you’re vegan, feel free to add nutritional yeast.

Fresh basil and cracked black pepper also add a lot of flavor!

Reheating: This soup will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can reheat it in the crockpot, microwave or on the stove. The pasta will absorb some of the liquid overnight so you can just add some broth when reheating or enjoy it thicker

Freezing: You can freeze this soup, but it isn’t as good once it has been frozen. The pasta can get a little mushy – but it’s still totally edible!

Can you make this Vegan Pasta Fagioli in the crockpot?

Yes, you can make pasta fagioli in the crockpot – but I would really recommend making it on the stovetop. It’s super quick! Unless you use the pasta I linked below, I can’t guarantee yours will cook correctly, and it might either be al dente, or mushy!

If you use this pasta – follow all steps, and just cook it in your crockpot on low for 4 hours. See below for crockpot instructions.

Can you make Instant Pot Pasta Fagioli?

Yes you can! See below for instructions. Here are some tips for making pasta fagioli in your instant pot.

Be aware of the order of the ingredients. Tomato sauces tend to trigger a burn warning in the instant pot.

This was tested with regular macaroni. I would highly recommend a short cut like Ditalini or Macaroni.

Very important note on the pasta – I would warn against using pastas with lower cook times than those two because that could result in over cooking. Similarly a thicker one requiring more time would undercook. Stick to pastas that cook in the 7-9 minute range for this one!

Other healthy soup recipes:

A close up of a bowl of Vegan Pasta Fagioli with a blue linen off to the side.

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