Pasta Fagioli is a classic Italian soup that’s perfect for getting into the autumn spirit! Tender white beans, wholesome pasta, a medley of fragrant diced veggies, and a flavorful tomato broth make this delicious soup a definite keeper.
Hearty Bean Soup with Sausage and Pasta
It’s soup weather, you guys! Or at least it’s getting there, you know? I love this time of year, when we can all start to look forward to getting our hygge on and pulling out the sweaters, scarves, and of course, the soup recipes!
If you’re a fan of minestrone, you’ll love Pasta Fagioli. That’s Italian for pasta and beans, although if you live in the U.S., you might have heard it pronounced “pasta fazool.” That’s because in Napoli, the name is “pasta e fasule.” Just a little trivia for ya, there.
Anyway, whatever you call it and however you pronounce it, this one’s gonna be your new fave! It’s a hearty peasant food that combines wholesome white beans with small pasta, and the classic trinity of carrots, celery, and onion.
Recipe Ingredients
So what’s in this soup? The basics include beans, pasta, and veggies. I also like to put Italian sausage in mine for extra flavor and a bit of hearty protein. However, you could use a ham bone, some smoked diced bacon, or just leave out the sausage and make a vegetarian version.
- Olive Oil: You’ll need two tablespoons of olive oil, divided, for sauteing.
- Sausage: Both spicy and sweet Italian sausage work in this recipe! Get bulk sausage, or buy links and remove the meat from the casings.
- Onion: A small onion, finely chopped, gives this recipe sweet and savory veggie flavor.
- Celery: Thinly slice up some celery to add to the veggies.
- Carrots: Dice up some carrots, or use carrot slices or matchsticks.
- Garlic: I like to use four cloves of fresh garlic, minced, but you can also substitute about a teaspoon and a half of garlic powder.
- Tomato Paste: One of the secret ingredients to a flavorful soup! Tomato paste packs a lot of savory veggie goodness into a small space. I use two tablespoons.
- Salt and Pepper
- Beans: You’ll need two 15 ounce cans of great northern beans, drained and rinsed.
- Tomatoes: To build on the tomato-veggie base of the soup, add a 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes.
- Tomato Sauce: You can use a regular 8 ounce can of tomato sauce, or substitute strained tomatoes or even marinara.
- Broth: I typically use low sodium chicken broth in this soup, but you can substitute vegetable broth or even water if necessary. You’ll need about 6 to 8 cups.
- Sugar: A couple of teaspoons of sugar brings out the flavor of the sausage, onion, and beans.
- Herbs: This soup is great with Italian seasonings, or you can make your own seasoning mix like I do! I use 1 teaspoon each of dried crushed rosemary, dried basil, dried oregano, and dried thyme.
- Pasta: The usual pasta I use in Pasta Fagioli is small ring pasta or ditalini, but any small pasta shapes will work.
- Parmesan and Parsley: To garnish this hearty soup, I like to sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan and fresh, chopped parsley over each serving.
Can I make Pasta Fagioli with dried beans?
Yes, you can! In fact, some cooks believe that the best pasta fagioli is made with dried beans. Here’s how you do it:
- Rinse and pick over half a pound of dried great northern beans, and soak them overnight (a minimum of 8 hours) before using.
- When it’s time to cook, drain the beans and rinse. Proceed with the recipe as written.
- Note: It will take a bit longer for the soaked beans to become tender, and you may need to add a little water if they absorb too much. Plan on cooking the dried beans between 20 and 30 minutes at a minimum.
How to Make Pasta Fagioli
Making this soup is really easy! And, thanks to the canned beans, it cooks up fast, but tastes like you simmered it all day.
- Cook the Sausage. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a Dutch oven, or a large deep pot, set over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon into crumbles. It should take about 5 minutes to cook through. Then transfer the cooked sausage to a plate, and set it aside.
- Cook the Aromatics and Tomato Paste. Next, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the same pot that you cooked the sausage in. Stir in the onions, celery, and carrots; cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pot, and cook for 20 seconds, or until it’s fragrant and beginning to be translucent. Stir in the tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add Remaining Ingredients. Add in the drained, rinsed beans, the diced tomatoes, the tomato sauce, and the broth. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the sugar, rosemary, herbs, and the previously cooked sausage. Increase the heat, and bring the soup to a boil. Once it’s boiling, stir in the pasta and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 8 minutes, or until pasta is al dente.
- Finish and Serve. Finally, taste the finished soup for salt and pepper, and adjust accordingly. Remove from the heat. Ladle the soup bowls, and garnish with freshly grated parmesan and parsley.
Tips for Success
Making this soup is as easy as can be, but I still have a couple of handy tips to share! Read on for my best “hacks” when it comes to making pasta fagioli.
- Blender Trick: If you want a thicker, creamier base to your soup, you can simply remove a cup or so of the soup and blend it up in a blender (be very careful and cool the soup first). Stir the blended soup back into the pot.
- Parmesan: If you have any Parmesan rind on hand, toss some into the simmering soup for extra flavor! This is a great trick that works with a lot of soups!
- Add Veggies: Feel free to toss leftover spinach, mushrooms, zucchini, or other veggies into your pasta fagioli for extra nutrition, and to avoid wasting leftovers.
Serving Suggestions
I like to have a couple of tasty sides with this hearty pasta fagioli, like bread and a veggie or salad. Here are some recipes to give you inspo for your own menu!
- Bread: A crusty slice of artisan bread goes wonderfully with pasta e fagioli, but if you want a quicker option, try making these easy Air Fryer Red Lobster Biscuits! With just a handful of ingredients, they bake up beautifully in the air fryer (or your regular oven).
- Zucchini: This versatile veg goes with just about everything, and adds an extra helping of non-starchy vegetables to your pasta e fagioli. For a refreshingly crisp serving idea, try my recipe for Crispy Air Fryer Parmesan Zucchini Fries!
- Caprese Salad: Cool, colorful, and nutritious, caprese salad is my go-to when I need the perfect side dish. Want to up the ante? This Creamy Caprese Stuffed Avocado recipe will do the trick!
How to Store and Reheat Soup Leftovers
- To store leftover soup, place into airtight containers and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days.
- To reheat, place the desired portion in a saucepan (add water if it seems too thick), and heat on medium-low until the soup is hot, stirring occasionally.
Can I Freeze Pasta Fagioli?
- Yes, pasta fagioli freezes well. Just pack the cooled soup into freezer containers, leaving a small amount of room for the liquid to expand as it freezes.
- I recommend freezing in individual portions for convenience.
- Freeze for up to three months.
- Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Pasta Fagioli Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound spicy or sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- Salt and Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes
- 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
- 6 to 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1-½ cups ditalini pasta, or any other small shaped pasta
- Freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish
- Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven or a large deep pot set over medium heat.
- Add sausage and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon; cook for about 5 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Transfer cooked sausage to a plate and set aside.
- Heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the same pot.
- Stir in the onions, celery, and carrots; cook for 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for 20 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Stir in the tomato paste.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add in beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chicken broth.
- Stir in the sugar, rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme, and previously cooked sausage; increase heat and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, stir in the pasta and reduce heat to medium.
- Cook for 8 minutes, or until pasta is al dente.
- Taste soup for seasonings and adjust accordingly.
- Remove from heat.
- Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with freshly grated parmesan and parsley.
34 Comments
Erik
Sep 9, 2021 at 5:38 pmThis is the perfect dinner for those chilly fall nights!
Katerina Petrovska
Sep 10, 2021 at 11:51 amThank YOU! I hope you enjoy it! ๐
Katerina Petrovska
Sep 13, 2021 at 2:39 pmI hope you enjoy it! Thank you so much! ๐
Krystle
Sep 9, 2021 at 9:48 pmThis soup is so filling and flavorful. It is perfect for chilly nights like tonight.
Katerina Petrovska
Sep 10, 2021 at 11:50 amI hope you enjoy it! Thank YOU! ๐
Katerina Petrovska
Sep 13, 2021 at 2:39 pmThank YOU! I hope you enjoy it! ๐
Katerina Petrovska
Sep 13, 2021 at 2:40 pmThank you so much! I hope you enjoy it! ๐
Catalina
Sep 10, 2021 at 4:01 amI love how hearty this pasta and fagioli is! My favorite dish!
Katerina Petrovska
Sep 10, 2021 at 11:50 amThank YOU! I hope you enjoy it! ๐
Katerina Petrovska
Sep 13, 2021 at 2:41 pmI hope you enjoy it! Thank YOU! ๐
Sandra
Sep 10, 2021 at 2:42 pmSuch a really satisfying meal! Everyone loved this for dinner last night!
Katerina Petrovska
Sep 13, 2021 at 2:38 pmThat’s so good to hear! I am very glad everyone enjoyed it! Thank YOU! ๐
Beth
Sep 10, 2021 at 3:42 pmPasta fagioli is one of our favorite comfort foods. My family DEVOURED this pasta! Iโm definitely adding this to our rotation for dinner!
Katerina Petrovska
Sep 13, 2021 at 2:38 pmThat’s great to hear! I’m very happy you and your family enjoyed it! Thank YOU! ๐
Amanda Livesay
Sep 12, 2021 at 10:52 amThis is such a yummy soup for a chilly day! My kids loved it!
Katerina Petrovska
Sep 13, 2021 at 2:34 pmI’m very glad you and your kids enjoyed it! Thank YOU! ๐
Cathy
Sep 13, 2021 at 12:39 pmThis is one of my all time favorite soups!
Katerina Petrovska
Sep 13, 2021 at 2:32 pmI hope you enjoy it! Thank YOU! ๐
D Craig
Dec 1, 2021 at 11:28 amNothing like telling us how much sausage, or should I just make that part up?
Katerina
Dec 2, 2021 at 9:20 amYou will need 1 pound. That information is included in the recipe card which is located towards the bottom of the post. You can also just click on the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the post and that will automatically scroll you down to the recipe card.
Betty
Nov 6, 2022 at 1:58 pmIt says 1 lb!
Peg
Dec 30, 2022 at 1:32 pmUnnecessary dude
Betty
Jul 16, 2023 at 12:38 pmIt’s listed in the ingredients! 1 pound spicy or sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings.
Rosalyn
Dec 5, 2021 at 10:10 amThis is by far the best one.esp if a member has a swallow problem or toddler. Itโs so tasty plus I never used pasta rings which does not โclogโ in their mouth. Thanks so much. I gave my dau a container to try but her husband ate the whole batch!
Katerina Petrovska
Dec 8, 2021 at 4:01 pmThat’s great to hear! I’m very glad everyone loved it! Thank YOU! ๐
Rhonda Childress
Sep 24, 2022 at 4:21 pmThis is so good!!! My whole family loved it
Katerina Petrovska
Sep 26, 2022 at 10:53 amThank YOU! I’m very glad you and your family enjoyed it! ๐
Ivory
Dec 28, 2022 at 6:00 pmThis looks beyond yummy. Can hardly wait to have this dish on our dinner table. Thanks for sharing. Happy New Year
Katerina Petrovska
Dec 29, 2022 at 12:43 pmThank you so much! I hope you love it! ๐
Kelli H
Jan 15, 2023 at 8:51 pmSo delicious! I left out the sugar and used chicken sausage. We all loved it.
Katerina Petrovska
Jan 18, 2023 at 1:26 pmThank YOU! I’m very glad everyone loved it! ๐
Lily
Jan 16, 2023 at 1:36 pmI make this all the time itโs an all time favorite dish! Itโs perfect with the spicy sausage on a cold day
Katerina Petrovska
Jan 18, 2023 at 1:24 pmThat’s great to hear! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! ๐
Tricia
Sep 13, 2023 at 3:42 pmDelicious! Made extra to share and everyone loved it.