Best Pasta Fagioli Recipe
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The Best Pasta Fagioli Soup recipe – WAY better than Olive Garden! Easy to make on the stove, crockpot or instant pot. Secretly healthy too!
This post was originally shared in January of 2019 but has since been updated.
If you’re looking for a cozy, delicious meal that’s budget friendly- you’ll definitely love this Pasta Fagioli!
With over 250 5-star reviews, it’s the ultimate comfort food: thick, hearty, and loaded with beans, pasta, a rich tomato base, and a blend of spices —way better than anything from Olive Garden.
This one pot meatless soup is simple, super flavorful, and filling! Proof you don’t need a ton of ingredients to make something delicious.
If you want other cozy meals check out Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup, Meatball Soup, or 15 Bean Soup!
Liz’s Tips for Making the Best Soup
- Cut your veggies ahead of time – You can keep them 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, and garlic SO quick.
- Use canned beans to save time – 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.
- Add a parmesan cheese rind – You can find these in the cheese section in most stores. They add so much flavor to soups!
Ingredients
Substitutions
Olive Oil: Use a good quality oil. If you don’t have olive oil, sub avocado oil or melted butter.
Onion/Garlic: I haven’t tried making this recipe without onion/garlic. It adds a lot of flavor, so I wouldn’t omit them. You can sub onion powder and garlic powder if you don’t have fresh. Use 1 teaspoon of onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
Beans: I usually use cooked canned cannellini beans (with no or low salt) to save time. You can cook your own, or sub with navy beans or great northern beans. Make sure to drain and rinse off canned beans.
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 of cooked beans.
Dried Herbs: Substitute 2 tablespoons of fresh herbs for each 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.
Pasta: You can use any small pasta. Ditalini are my favorite. You can also use elbows, baby shells, or any shorter, small pasta.
Tomato Sauce: You want to use canned tomato sauce, not pasta sauce.
Broth: Any broth or stock (broth and stock are the same) can be used in any soup recipe. Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, or vegetable broth all work interchangeably. I always use low or no salt broth.
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! Cooked shredded chicken or even chopped rotisserie chicken is delicious in this recipe too.
Spinach or extra veggies: Chopped spinach is a great addition to this recipe, I add it right before serving!
Low Sodium: Canned tomatoes, broth, and canned beans all typically have high levels of sodium. Look for no or low sodium. Feel free to add salt to taste as needed.
Extra Flavor: You could also add a parmesan cheese rind to the soup as it cooks. Parmesan cheese rinds add extra flavor! Remove it at the end like you would a bay leaf.
How to make Pasta Fagioli
Making 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*.
- Sauté your veggies.
- 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.
All are equally as simple – and the instant pot is the fastest way to make this healthy pasta fagioli.
Can you make this 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! When you cook pasta in the crockpot, it is hard to time it correctly; it can either be al dente, or mushy!
If you are making pasta fagioli in the crockpot, add your pasta during the last hour of cooking to avoid the pasta from getting too mushy.
Can you make This in the instant pot?
Yes, you can make pasta e fagioli in the instant pot! 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 cook times lower than Ditalini or Macaroni 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!
What is pasta fagioli?
Pasta fagioli is a traditional Italian soup/stew made with beans 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 do you pronounce pasta fagioli soup – there are a few ways you can say it
- fah- zool (rhymes with school )
- fah- jole (rhymes with soul)
If you love healthy Italian recipes, try our Chicken Cacciatore.
What do you eat with this soup?
Pasta e fagioli is meant to be very thick! You should almost be able to eat it with a fork! If you prefer it soupier, just add more broth when it’s done cooking, or cook your pasta in a separate pot.
Pasta fagioli is best served with:
- a big piece of crusty bread
- lots of grated parmesan cheese on top!
- Fresh basil and cracked black pepper also add a lot of flavor!
- with a salad, this honey mustard chicken salad is delicious!
Storing and Freezing
Refrigerator: This Vegetarian Pasta Fagioli will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The pasta will absorb some of the broth, so you can add more broth to make the soup thinner when reheating.
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! I love these containers for freezing soup. For all my freezing tips, check out my post on How To Freeze Soup.
Reheating: 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.
Pasta Fagioli Recipe
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
Stove Top Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Sauté the onions, garlic, and carrots for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and softened.
- Add beans, tomato sauce, basil, parsley, oregano, black pepper, red pepper, vegetable broth, and water to the pot. Stir together.
- Cover the pot and turn the heat to high. Bring the soup to a boil. Stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. The soup should take about 10 minutes to come to a boil.
- Once the soup reaches a boil, remove the lid and reduce the heat to medium.
- Add dry pasta and stir together. Cook over medium heat for half the recommended cooking time on the package (cook time will vary depending on the pasta shape you use).
- Important: you must undercook the pasta!
- Discard the bay leaf before serving.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Important: This recipe is best when made on the stovetop. The pasta can easily get overcooked in the instant pot.
- Set your Instant Pot to Sauté for 8 minutes. heat olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes or until oil starts to shimmer. Sauté onions, garlic and carrots in olive oil for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and softened.
- While veggies cook, drain + rinse beans.
- Make sure to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the instant pot to avoid a burn notice. Add in the pasta, beans, seasonings, water and broth to the pot. Pour the tomatoes on top. Do not stir it.
- Set the instant pot to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 2 minutes. Once the soup and do a quick release once the soup has cooked.
- Once the soup has cooked, do a quick release. Discard bay leaf. Stir + enjoy!
- Optional but recommended: You can cook your pasta on the side to avoid it being over cooked. Depending on the pasta size, this can easily over cook in the instant pot.
Crockpot Instructions
- Important: This recipe is best when made on the stovetop. The pasta can easily get overcooked in the crockpot.
- In a large pot on the stove, heat olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes or until oil starts to shimmer. Sauté onions, garlic and carrots in olive oil for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and softened.Add to crockpot base.
- While veggies cook, drain + rinse beans.
- Add tomato sauce, spices, stock, water and beans to the crockpot base. Do not add pasta! Stir until combined and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- The last hour of cooking, add your raw pasta to the crockpot. Stir to combine. Cover and cook for the remaining hour. You can also cook your pasta in a separate pot and stir it in the soup.
- Important: you should undercook the pasta. Once you remove the crockpot from the heat the pasta will continue to cook and absorb the broth. Feel free to add more broth to your liking if soup becomes too thick.
- When ready to eat, discard bay leaf. Serve + enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Cut your veggies ahead of time -You can keep them 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 to save time: I try to find ones that are low sodium and always rinse/drain them.
- Add a parmesan cheese rind– You can find these in the cheese section in most stores. They add so much flavor to soups!
- This is best cooked on the stovetop! The past can easily overcook in the instant pot or crockpot.
Far too much pepper. I recommend starting with 1/8 teaspoon and tasting as you go
Sorry you felt that way. 1/2 teaspoon of pepper across 8 cups of soup really isn’t much!
Hi! I do not have tomato sauce. Can I use canned petite dices tomatoes? Thank you!
I would run them through a blender first 🙂 But yes, that would work!
Making this on repeat for my family and it’s so great to make for someone who just had a baby or who is sick. We add ground sausage to ours. So good and easy!
Great recipe! Added crumbled sausage for some extra protein and flavor as well!
Very tasty dish. My Italian mother in law used to serve it with a dollop of Ricotta cheese on the side. It adds a great contrast to the meal.
This is my families favorite recipe. I make this several times a month. And I double the recipe so the kids can take it for lunch!
Simple and delicious! My family loved it and requested I make it often.
My favorite soup recipe! We keep it in our regular rotation throughout the fall and winter.
Can you substitute chicken stock if you don’t have vegetable stock?
Yes! All of our blog post have a green substitutions box, we covered this info there 🙂 chicken, veggie or beef broth/stock all work.
We loved it! It’s our new fav!
Wow this was excellent , highly recommend trying it, you won’t be disappointed♥️
Absolutely delicious. Probably the bests pasta fagioli I’ve ever eaten. So easy to make too! Thank you!
So happy to hear this, thank you!
So delicious!
Perfect soup for a chilly rainy night! I am always trying to replicate a pasta e fagioli I like from a pizzeria and this one is close but not exactly it. Still, it tasted yummy and I loved the spicy kick to it. I used whole tomatoes and squeezed them since I didn’t have canned tomato sauce and left out cheese since I don’t eat cheese. Next time, I will try to find whole wheat ditalini. I will definitely make it again.
Glad you liked it, Diane! You can use any short grain whole wheat pasta – it doesn’t have to be ditalini!
I love as is but wanted to know.
Being vegetarian I have lots of beans and like to mix things up to create variety.
1. Can I substitute with kidney or use kidney with cannelli bean together?
2. I always cook pasta Separate then added at the very end so as To maintain el dente. Would this work in this recipe.
3. How would this be with celery added?I have a bunch of cereal. I accidentally clicked two on the grocery app. Thank you
I don’t really recommend kidney beans in this recipe, I think white beans are better. You can cook the past separately and add it – I like to do this too 🙂 You can add a cup of finely diced celery if you’d like! Celery also freezes well, you can chop it all up and freeze it and then use it in soups/stews for the future!
Made with light red kidney bean since I had without going back to store. Everyone loved it. Cannellini is technically a white kidney bean anyway. I just think it has a better it has a better texture and slightly milder and better taste. Just my preference. But all the light red kidney people loved the recipe. Requested it again for this week. Must be the cold weather.
Glad you liked them, Joli!
Very good broth, nice hearty soup
So glad you liked it!
This is a go-to recipe in our household, especially when I need a quick meal that everyone will eat! Easy, flavorful and hearty. Definitely a must try if you haven’t already!
So glad you like it, Danielle!
The recipe calls for cooked cannellini beans. In the directions it says drain & rinse the beans & add to potno mention of cooking instructions. Can you clarify please?
Yes, as you mentioned this recipe calls for cooked cannellini beans, meaning canned beans that are already cooked. Drain the beans from the can and rinse them off with water (they’re often covered in a salty, slimy solution from being in the can that I prefer not to add to soup) If you want to cook the cannellini beans from dry beans I’d recommend googling how to cook cannellini beans and following that recipe
Very good. Easy Too!
Alice
So happy you like it, Alice!
Delicious! My whole family loved this
Pretty good! It was close to my Italian grandmother’s. The only thing I didn’t add was the carrots. Other than that I followed the recipe.
So yummy!! I did one less can of beans and added a little prosciutto to the step where you sauté the onions and carrots. Came out so good!! Thanks for the recipe!
Yum! Great idea to add prosciutto! Glad you enjoyed it!
SO delicious! Definitely a fan favorite in our house!! My three kids ask for this soup often! So easy to make, too!
So glad your whole family loves it!
I swapped out the veggie stock with chicken bone broth to up the protein! I split my batch into 5 large servings with over 20 grams of protein! The hint of heat from the pepper flakes was perfect!
Great idea! We almost always use chicken bone broth! It’s so flavorful too!
I made it as is and it was delicious