Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Rustic Bean and Pasta Soup)
Quick answer
Pasta e Fagioli is a bean and pasta soup rooted in the rural Italian kitchen, where cannellini beans and short pasta come together in a thick, starchy broth.
What makes this special
- Mashing half the cannellini beans thickens the broth naturally in this rustic Pasta e Fagioli.
- Half the beans mashed into the broth thickens it naturally without starch
- Parmesan rind simmered in the pot infuses the broth with cheese umami
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Dice the onion, 2 celery stalks, and carrot finely, then mince the 3 garlic cloves.
- 2 Warm 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat.
- 3 Add the garlic and fresh rosemary, and cook for 1 minute to release their aroma.
Pasta e Fagioli is a bean and pasta soup rooted in the rural Italian kitchen, where cannellini beans and short pasta come together in a thick, starchy broth. A soffritto of finely diced onion, celery, and carrot sauteed in olive oil forms the flavor foundation, layered with garlic and fresh rosemary. Crushing half the beans and stirring them into the broth thickens the soup naturally without any added starch. Short pasta like ditalini is cooked directly in the broth, releasing its starch to further enrich the texture. Whole peeled tomatoes contribute a mild acidity, and simmering a Parmigiano rind in the pot infuses the entire broth with a deep, savory umami that transforms the dish from simple to complex.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Step
Dice the onion, 2 celery stalks, and carrot finely, then mince the 3 garlic cloves.
Drain the cannellini beans, and crush the whole peeled tomatoes by hand so they break down evenly in the soup.
- 2Control
Warm 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat.
Add the onion, celery, and carrot, and cook for about 6 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables soften without browning too hard.
- 3Heat
Add the garlic and fresh rosemary, and cook for 1 minute to release their aroma.
Before the garlic turns brown, add the crushed tomatoes and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen the cooked-on flavor.
- 4Control
Simmer the tomatoes over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until they look slightly thicker.
Add 800 ml chicken stock and the beans, then bring the soup back to a steady simmer.
- 5Control
Lift out about one third of the beans, mash them roughly with a fork, and return them to the pot.
Simmer 5 minutes more, until the broth turns cloudy, thicker, and smoother.
- 6Control
Add 150 g ditalini and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente.
If the soup becomes too thick, loosen it with small splashes of water until it still eats like broth.
After the steps
Pick a recipe that fits this dish.
Continue with shared ingredients, meal pairings, or a similar method.
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