Any Nana worth her salt has an amazing Pasta Fagioli soup recipe. Mine had an incredible Pasta Fagioli recipe (pronounced fa-jool). It’s an Italian peasant dish that translates to pasta and beans.
There is nothing like a big, steaming bowl of this ground beef soup during the winter months and you just need something hot and hearty to warm you up. This soup is full of veggies, meat and beans all simmered in a hearty tomato base. Top it off with some freshly grated parmesan cheese and, well, you have pure perfection in a bowl!
This recipe is very easy to make and it makes a lot. I love to make a big pot on Sunday so that I can have it for lunch all week long. And, this soup freezes well. My favorite way to enjoy this soup is with a big hunk of crusty bread and freshly grated parmesan cheese on top.
While it’s pronounced Pasta Fa-jool, you may hear some Italians refer to it as Pasta Fazool. No matter how you say it, though, it’s warm, comforting and very satisfying.
Why This Pasta Fagioli Soup Recipe Works
This hamburger vegetable soup is very easy to make and it makes a lot. I love to make a big pot on Sunday so that I can have it for lunch all week long. It is so flavorful and filing you will always fill satisfied.
How to Make this Pasta Fagioli Recipe – Step by Step
- Step One: First, in a large dutch oven, brown ground beef with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Then when no longer pink, remove from pot and drain excess fat, leaving 1 Tbsp of fat in pot. (Photo 1 below)
- Step Two: Next add onion, carrot and celery to pot. Then season with remaining salt and pepper. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until softened. (Photo 2 below)
- Step Three: Next, add garlic, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper and bay leaf cook for 1 minute. (Photo 3 below)
- Step One: Then add ground beef back into pot. Next, add tomatoes, beans and chicken broth. (Photo 1 below)
- Step Two: Then cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. (Photo 2 below)
- Step Three: Finally add 1 cup of Ditalini to bowl and add soup. Top with grated parmesan cheese.(Photo 3 below)
Recommendations for Making Pasta Fagioli
I have made this soup so much that I don’t need to follow a recipe. In fact, to write this blog post, I had to carefully (and painstakingly) write down everything single ingredient, measurement and step in order to include the recipe.
You can add any veggies that you like to the soup – zucchini, green beans, whatever suits your fancy or what is in season. They all work and are delicious.
To keep the beans from splitting, do not over cook them. If you want to simmer the soup for longer than 20 minutes, add the beans at the end. There are no set rules on the beans that you can use either. Try using pinto, navy, great northern, red, kidney, cannellini beans or even lentils.
Tips for Freezing Pasta Fagioli
Prepare large batches of this soup and freeze it so that you can enjoy it anytime you need to have a quick and delicious meal.
Make the soup and freeze without the pasta. This way, the pasta will not absorb all of the liquid or get mushy.
Let the soup cool completely and then place in your favorite storage container and place in the freezer. I also like to use freezer labels and mark the date I froze it.
Then while you’re reheating it, boil fresh pasta and add it directly to the rewarmed soup. Yum.
Expert Tips for Making the Best Pasta Fagioli
- Change up the Meat: Try adding a spicy sausage or bacon to enhance the flavor.
- This Recipe Can be Doubled: This is a great recipe for a crowd. Simply increase the ingredients proportionately and freeze the rest.
- Make it Vegetarian: This soup doesn’t need meat. Add vegetable broth and leafy greens for an incredible meal.
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Pasta Fagioli Soup
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 2 teaspoons House Seasoning Blend - divided
- 1 large onion - diced
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 3 large carrots - diced
- 3 stalks celery - diced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 15 ounces Cannelini beans
- 15 ounces kidney beans
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken broth
- Additional salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound Ditalini pasta - cooked
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven, season ground beef and brown over medium high heat.
- When meat is cooked through, remove from pot and drain excess fat; Leave one tablespoon of fat in pot.
- Add onion, carrot and celery to pot; Season with remaining House Seasoning Blend.
- Cook for 5-8 minutes or until softened.
- Add garlic, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper and bay leaf; Cook for 1 minute.
- Add ground beef back into pot.
- Add tomatoes, beans with their liquid and chicken broth.
- Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.
- Test for seasoning. If needed add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Add 1 cup of cooked Ditalini to individual serving bowl and add soup.
- Top with grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Change up the Meat: Try adding a spicy sausage or bacon to enhance the flavor.
- This Recipe Can be Doubled: This is a great recipe for a crowd. Simply increase the ingredients proportionately and freeze the rest.
- Make it Vegetarian: This soup doesn't need meat. Add vegetable broth and leafy greens for an incredible meal.
Nutrition
- Want to scale a recipe up or down? Simply type in a new serving amount and the recipe will automatically adjust!
- When a recipe call for House Seasoning Blend, you can use this recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- I always use unsalted butter in my recipes.
- I always use a meat thermometor to test for doneness when cooking meat. This one is my favorite.
- When a recipe is made in the oven, it should be pre-heated to the temperature in the recipe, unless otherwise noted.
- The nutritional information provided in this recipe is an estimate. Learn more on how I calculate nutritional information for my recipes.
Jade says
We made this with half italian sausage and half spicy italian. It was just right that way! Will definitely be making this again!
Katie says
This has all the flavors I want it to and was perfect for our cold, rainy day!
Fiorenza says
Hello from an Italian girl who loves pasta e fagioli, and yours looks delicious
I liked this version with the addition of ground beef, everyone has its own family version, nice idea!
Leslie K says
Awe man! I can’t wait to make this! I know how you feel-I often make certain recipes so much that to try and figure out how much of everything you need is a pain 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing
Christina says
Enjoy! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
One of my favorite soups. I never makes soups at home because the majority of my family doesn’t like soup, but when I’m out to eat in the north end of Boston (the Italian section) and this is on the menu, I always order it. YUM.
Christina says
Nothing like Pasta Fagioli from an authentic Italian restaurant! 🙂