Pasta with Beans (pasta e fagioli) Recipe from Veneto.
Here in Veneto, Northern Italy, one of the most popular, hearty and nutritious cold weather dishes is pasta with beans. Italians say ‘pasta e fagioli’. Variations of this soup exist in most other Italian regions. But, it’s most typical in Campania , Lazio, Lombardy, Piemonte, Veneto and Tuscany!
One of the things I love about winter is soups! Nothing is more warming than a big bowl of homemade soup. And for this reason, I usually can’t wait for soup season to arrive! There are a number of traditional soups made with pasta in Italy. However, pasta with beans is probably one of the most popular!
A little pasta with beans history!
Legend has it that the original pasta with beans recipe was born in the inns of ancient Rome! However, I think the Romans were more likely to have been eating chickpeas and pasta. Beans were first brought to Europe from the Americas in the 1500s!
Even so, pasta e fagioli is still a pretty ancient dish most probably dating back to Medieval times. Food historians say that when Catherine de Medici travelled to France to marry Henry II, she took him a number of gifts including a bag of beans and a collection of silver forks. The Italians were the only western Europeans using forks at that time!
Pasta with beans became very popular with the rural population as they could make it with their own home produce. It was hearty, filling and nutritious and cost very little to make! Still true!
Here in Veneto, pasta e fagioli became a traditional autumn soup because this was the time of year families slaughtered pigs. Pork rind and bones were used to flavour the soup. Today, of course, we don’t need to slaughter a pig to make it. Adding some good pancetta or guanciale works well too, although some Venetians still use pork rind.
Canned or dried beans?
You can make this dish with dried beans or with canned beans. I prefer to use dried beans. However, this means the beans need to be soaked overnight, then cooked. So, with dried beans the soup will take longer to prepare. The type of beans used varies in different parts of Italy. Here in Veneto, borlotti beans are the most typical. In Tuscany, they use cannellini beans.
Pasta and beans for vegetarians.
This version of pasta e fagioli has pancetta. You can also use normal bacon or guanciale. In Naples, they also have a version with mussels which is delicious!
To make pasta with beans vegetarian, just leave out the pancetta and use vegetable stock instead of beef. Also, if you want to serve your soup with grated cheese, use a vegetarian cheese as Parmigiano is made with animal rennet.
Making this pasta e fagioli.
Apart from pre-cooking the beans, the rest of this recipe is quite simple and takes about an hour. After preparing the ingredients, the next step is to cook the pancetta (if using). Then add the finely chopped onion, carrot and celery. Italians call this combination ‘soffritto’. It’s the basis of many Italian dishes.
After that, mix in some broth or stock, the tomato passata and then the beans. Some versions of pasta e fagioli are made without tomatoes or with just a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste/concentrate. In that case, they use more broth and some of the bean cooking water. I like this version with tomato passata.
Before cooking and adding the pasta, I take 3 ladlefuls of the soup and liquidize it for a creamier thicker soup. Feel free to omit that step, if you prefer.
The pasta.
Traditionally, this dish is made with small pasta tubes like ditalini, ridged ditaloni or mixed pasta (pasta mista) . You can see the latter in my recipe for Tuscan pomarola. For this recipe, I used mezzi rigatoni from pastamakers Liguori. These pasta tubes are a bit larger than ditaloni but they were delicious.
The Venetians also use a homemade flat egg pasta cut into small rectangular or diamond shapes. In some places, they break spaghetti into pieces and add that to the soup.
Whichever kind of pasta you use, I am sure this pasta with beans soup will become a regular favourite! It is certainly one of mine! It’s easy to do and well worth the time spent preparing it.
If you do make this pasta e fagioli , I’d love to hear how it turns out and if you liked it. Please leave a comment here on the blog or on The Pasta Project Facebook page.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Buon Appetito!
This recipe was first published in 2016 but has been updated with new photos and text.
Pasta and Beans soup (pasta e fagoli)
Ingredients
- 250 g crushed tomotoes (9oz) polpa/ passata
- 2 celery stalks medium sized finely chopped
- 80 g pancetta (3oz) or guanciale
- 400 g Borlotti beans (14oz) if using dried beans soak overnight and then cook in salted water for about 1 hour.
- 1 garlic clove peeled
- 1 medium sized carrot finely chopped
- 0.5 lts beef stock (2 cups) or vegetable stock
- 1 small onion peeled and finely chopped
- extra virgin olive oil
- black pepper/ salt to taste
- 1 tsp rosemary fresh or dried
- 300 g ditaloni pasta (10.5oz)
- 50 g Parmigiano Reggiano (2oz) grated for serving if required
Instructions
- Dissolve 2 stock cubes in half a liter of boiling water.
- Chop the onion, celery and carrot very finely (in a food mixer is good). Cut the pancetta or guanciale into thin pieces. Peel the garlic. If using canned beans, drain them.
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan. Add the garlic clove peeled but not cut and cook it until it browns, then remove it. Add the pancetta to the pan and cook until the fat starts to melt.
- Add the finely chopped vegetables to the pan and cook until they start to soften. Then, add a ladleful of the stock and cook the vegetables another minute or two.
- Add the crushed tomatoes (passata) and salt and pepper as desired.
- Add another ladleful of stock and cook for a couple more minutes.
- Add the precooked beans and mix the ingredients well, whilst adding the last of the stock. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Put the water on to boil for the pasta.
- Whilst waiting for the water to boil, remove 3 ladlefuls from the soup and liquidize it in a food processor until it's smooth and creamy. Then add this mixture back into the soup and stir well.
- When the pasta is cooked al dente (according to the instructions on the packet), drain and add it to the soup.
- Season with the finely chopped rosemary and pour into bowls. Add a little olive oil to the soup just before serving ( don't mix it in) and grated cheese if required
Notes
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Tubular pasta is my favorite variety! This dish looks delicious, I gotta make it tomorrow night, can’t wait!
This soup came out so delicious! The beans added such a nice heartiness, and I love the flavor of the pancetta. Will definitely make again this winter!
Truly comfort food! This bowl has so many great flavors and textures. Thanks for sharing!
Oh, I love Pasta e Fagioli! It’s such a comforting meal, especially when it’s snowing outside (like today). Going to make your recipe next week!
This recipe hit the spot. The flavors came well together, it was an absolute delight!
LOVE this pasta recipe especially cold nights! It is such a simple and delicious recipe We love it and will be making it again next week!
I’m always on the lookout for warming soup recipes at this time of year and this will definitely hit the spot. I love beans, pasta and pancetta and can’t wait to try this soon.
Marrying into an Italian family Pasta e Fagioli was the first dish my husband’s family taught me how to make “authentic”. I’ve been in love with it ever since! As always I so love your posts and recipes! Thank you for sharing!
My favourite ingredient to add to soup is beans, especially if there is pasta involved. They pair together so beautifully! This soup is just the perfect thing for tonights dinner.
This has most CERTAINLY become a favorite. This was perfect for this chilly weather we’ve been experiencing.
I was just looking for a hearty pasta dish and I love that this is made with beans! We have been cutting down on meat lately and bulking up our dishes with more beans. And I love cannelini beans and tomato sauce together! Making this tonight 🙂
hi there! i just looked up your previously published pasta e fagioli recipe the other day cause i wanted to make it this weekend, and now i find you’ve just updated it – how great! i’m happy to make the vegetarian version and would also like to add some greens to the pasta – do you think lard (or ideally Tuscan kale, although i’m not sure i’ll get it here) would work, if i added it right before serving? love all of your recipes btw, it’s so great to have an authentic source for pasta recipes 🙂 …(and so much easier than trying to watch YouTube videos of Italian chefs with auto generated subtitles hehe)
Thanks for your comment Mimi! I’m glad you like and want to make this updated pasta e fagioli! As you read it’s quite easy to make it vegetarian. For greens, kale is pretty traditional here in Italy or Savoy cabbage. If you don’t find those you can use spinach. Probably young leaves are better. Do let me know how it turns out. All the best from Verona!
Such a classic recipe and your version looks delicious!
Thanks so much Amy!
Such a hearty pasta! This looks so amazing and I absolutely love the addition of the pancetta. Definitely comforting with the cooler temperatures we are having.
Thank you Tara! Everything tastes better with bacon, or should I say pancetta? It certainly adds flavour to this pasta soup but can be left out for vegetarians!
This pasta is super simple and looks wonderful! This is the type of meal I can imagine myself making on weeknights. pinned!
This is a great weeknight meal option Chrissie! Easy to make, filling and nutritious!
Today’s chilly weather calls for comfort food and this soup is just what I need! Looks tasty!
Yes, this is one of my go-to comfort recipes when it’s cold outside! I’m sure you’ll love it if you try it Gail!
One of the best soup combo for lunch or dinner. Total comfort food
I agree one hundred percent Kushi! Total comfort food!
A bowl of pure comfort! This is one of my favourite cold weather soups.
One of my favourites too Courtney! Perfect for the cooler months!
Absolutely delicious! Just the dish for a gloomy, cold January!
I varied your recipe slightly, as I’m a vegetarian; and I didn’t make it too ‘soupy’ so it was more of a very moist bowl of pasta + beans. I also didn’t top with olive oil, but grated plenty of fresh parmesan on top – ate it for 3 meals!
Thank you Jacqui, for changing my pasta life! 🙂
Beyond good! Our family LOVED it!
Thanks for your comment Kevin! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this pasta and beans soup. I love it too!