Authentic pasta fagioli is a traditional Italian pasta dish featuring, as the name suggests, pasta and beans. It's a timeless dish that is a cornerstone of "la cucina povera". With a few simple ingredients, this dish will provide a humble, but hearty and delicious meal.
For many Italians, if they had to think of a pasta dish that symbolizes the cooking philosophy of "la cucina povera", or poor kitchen, it would be an authentic pasta fagioli.
Pasta, with beans, became a staple for many Italian families with humble resources. Often, families working in the Italian countryside or farmlands would rely on this soup dish to sustain them during a hard day's work.
And pasta fagioli even became popular in other places due to the immigrant communities of Italians. Many immigrants from Italy, who started over with limited means, made this dish a staple in their new homelands.
So for many, pasta fagioli has a special place in their hearts, because it reminds them of their family roots, and the dishes of their ancestors.
But, in addition to its history, it is simply delicious. Warm, hearty, and full of flavor, this dish will bring a smile to your face, and will have you wanting more.
History
As mentioned, pasta fagioli has a long history in Italy (going back to the 1500s). Every region or city will have their own version. For example, in Venice, the dish may include cuts of pork, and in areas near Rome, they have their own spin on the dish with Pasta e Ceci!
Historically it is a dish Italian families served while working in the fields and farms. Because of its inexpensive ingredients, it became known as "peasant food". Now, people celebrate the dish as one of comfort, nostalgia, and nutrition.
The beans, carrots, celery, and onion meld together and create an aromatic base. With the pasta, you'll have an amazing meal that will quickly find a home in your cookbook.
Why you should make Pasta Fagioli
- It's Traditional - You'll have a view into the cucina povera, which is close-up of traditional Italians existing for centuries.
- Fantastic flavors - This dish has fantastic flavors that come together beautifully (with a creamy consistency!); the flavors, are warm, inviting, and unique.
Ingredients
- Carrots, Celery, and Onion - this combination of vegetables creates a soffritto, providing aromas and a touch of sweetness
- Beans - the beans pack in the fibre and protein, and provide a nice added flavor and texture to the dish
- Pasta - the pasta adds more nutrients and complements the beans
- Tomato passata - this helps create the sauce and give a nice flavor
- Vegetable stock - the stock provides more flavour, and blends with the passata to bring the sauce together
- Rosemary - for added flavor and garnish
Different Versions of Pasta Fagioli
As discussed, there are various versions of this dish. As Italian cooking is quite regional, you'll find that the dish takes on different elements as you travel. For instance, I mentioned that a Venetian-style will likely contain some kind of pork, like pancetta.
In Emilia-Romagna, they like to use the "maltagliati" type of pasta, and in Tuscany, the bean of choice will likely be the cannellini bean, and pureed.
Wherever you may find it, the core of the dish remains the same: pasta, beans, and vegetables, all simmered in a hearty sauce.
What Pasta Shape to Use
For this dish, small pasta shapes work best, like small pasta shells. Ditalini, or ditali, also work well, and a pasta mista (mixed pasta) could be a good choice too. Really, the trick is to make sure you are using small pasta shapes, as they really work best for the texture of pasta fagioli!
What Type of Bean to Use
Traditionally, Italians use Borlotti beans for this dish, as this type of bean holds up well in the cooking process. Borlotti beans are also called Romano beans, so wherever you are, you may have to look for either name.
You may also want to try cannellini beans, which are white northern Italian beans, or ked kidney beans if you have them on hand. You could even use a combination of beans for added flavor and fibre!
Using Dried Beans
Though this recipe uses canned beans, dried beans also work if you prefer. For dried beans, the preparation will require a few extra steps. First, soak the dried beans in cold water, or placed in water and in the fridge - it's best to soak them overnight, but if you can't, soak for at least 4 to 5 hours. Once the beans are soaked, drain and add to a pot with fresh water. Then, bring to a boil, and simmer beans until tender (usually 60 to 90 minutes).
How to Make Authentic Pasta Fagioli - Step by Step
In a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil. Once olive oil is heated through, add diced carrots, celery and onions (Photo 1). Add the beans and cook (Photo 2). Put in the passata along with the vegetable stock and parmigiana reggiano rind (Photo 3).
Remove about 1.5 cups of the broth/beans, and use the immersion blender to blend the mixture (Photo 4)
Place the blended ingredients back into the broth. When the mixture comes to a boil, add in the pasta (Photo 5)
Remove the rosemary sprigs and cheese rind. Add the chopped rosemary and stir once more.
Plate and top with extra olive oil, grated parmigiano reggiano, and enjoy! (Photo 6)
They are the same! Pasta fagioli, and pasta fazool are both ways to describe the dish of "pasta and beans".
Note that in Italian, the proper name of the dish is pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans). Pasta fazool is variant name that has become popular in the United States among Italian-Americans, and likely derives from "Pasta e fasul", from the Neapolitan dialect.
Minestrone and pasta fagioli can both be considered soups, however with a minestrone, it will contain more vegetables (and might not even include beans), is much thinner, with more more broth (for a more "soupy" feel).
Pasta fagioli, on the other hand, has a thicker base, and focuses its ingredients on the pasta and beans
It can contain meat such as pancetta, guanciale or prosciutto in the first step of cooking. This is to build flavor in the dish. Meat is not the star ingredient in pasta fagiioli - it will never contain ground meat for example.
Fagioli means "bean". In North America, fagioli is more popularly known as "fazool". Now you know what made Dean Martin drool all those years ago!
Yes! Pasta e fagioli is a traditional, and classic Italian soup recipe. It is a mainstay of the "cucina povera" which defined historic Italian cooking for many parts of the country for centuries.
Storage
Of course, this dish is best when eaten right after cooking, but if there are any leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. To re-heat, place leftovers in a small saucepan, add some water or stock, (since pasta would have absorbed most of the liquid). Then, heat on stove until warmed through.
An alternative is to heat in microwave in a microwave-safe bowl (make sure to add some water or stock before re-heating).
Top Tips
- For a creamier consistency, remove about 1.5 cups of the broth/beans and blend in an immersion blender, then return the blended beans/broth to the pot.
- To add some richness and flavor, cook some pancetta, guanciale, or crumbled Italian sausage, and add to the dish
- Finish the dish with a sprinkle of rosemary, and a drizzle of olive oil
- If you'd like the final dish to have a brothier consistency, add more broth when the pasta is cooking
- If you don't have vegetable stock on hand, water will work well too
More Italian soup recipes
- Pasta e Ceci (Italian Chickpea Soup)
- Swiss Chard Soup with Lentils and Cauliflower
- Chicken Pastina Soup – The Authentic Italian Way!
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Recipe
Authentic Pasta Fagioli
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (plus more for garnish)
- ½ cup white or yellow onion (diced)
- ½ cup chopped carrots (diced)
- ½ cup chopped celery (diced)
- 2.5 cups canned beans, rinsed (Romano beans, also known as Borlotti beans)
- 1 cup tomato passata (crushed strained tomatoes)
- 3.5 cups vegetable stock (plus more if needed)
- 1 Parmigiano Reggiano rind
- 120 g small shell pasta (or ditalini)
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (plus ½ tablespoon minced rosemary)
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil. Once olive oil is heated through, add diced carrots, celery and onions. Add salt. Cook until fragrant - about 5 minutes.
- Add the beans and cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the passata along with the vegetable stock and parmigiana reggiano rind. Season with salt. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Optional step but recommended (this will give the dish a creamy consistency) - remove about 1.5 cups of the broth/beans, trying to grab a bit more beans than broth, and place into the cup of an immersion blender. Use the immersion blender to blend the mixture until well blended and a creamy consistency forms.
- Place the blended ingredients back into the broth.
- When the mixture comes to a boil, add in the pasta. Stir constantly until the pasta is cooked. If pasta is not stirred constantly, it will stick to the pot. If pasta absorbs too much liquid, add more vegetable stock.
- Remove the rosemary sprigs and cheese rind. Add the chopped rosemary and stir once more.
- Plate and top with extra olive oil, grated parmigiano reggiano, and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- If you'd like the final dish to have a brothier consistency, add more broth when the pasta is cooking
- If you don't have vegetable stock on hand, water will work well too
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