Pasta e Fagioli: Hearty Italian Bean and Pasta Soup

In this guide

1. What Makes a Classic Pasta e Fagioli
2. How to Make Pasta e Fagioli Step by Step
3. Cannellini vs Borlotti: Choosing the Beans
4. The Pasta: Ditalini and How to Cook It
5. Variations: Vegetarian, Venetian-Style and Spicy
6. Make-Ahead, Storage and Reheating
7. Troubleshooting Pasta e Fagioli
8. Approximate Nutrition
9. Pasta e Fagioli FAQs
10. Printable Recipe

Pasta e fagioli is the Italian answer to a cold evening: a thick soup of beans and small pasta, built on a slow soffritto, a little tomato and a Parmesan rind that melts its flavor into the broth. The name simply means pasta and beans. It began as a peasant dish, and the best versions still taste of just a handful of good ingredients cooked with patience.

This guide gives you the classic method in six stages, a comparison of cannellini and borlotti beans, the right way to cook ditalini so the soup does not turn to paste, four variations, storage rules and a troubleshooting table. The printable recipe at the end makes six servings in about an hour.

What Makes a Classic Pasta e Fagioli

A soup, a stew, or something in between

Ask ten Italian cooks and you will get ten bowls of pasta e fagioli. In the Veneto it is thick and almost spoonable, made with borlotti beans and often finished with a drizzle of raw olive oil. In Naples it is looser and more tomato-forward, sometimes made with a mix of broken pasta shapes. The Roman version leans on pancetta and rosemary. This recipe sits in the middle: thick enough to coat a spoon, brothy enough to call a soup, with tomato in a supporting role rather than the lead.

The soffritto is the foundation

Onion, carrot and celery cooked slowly in olive oil and pancetta fat give the soup its sweetness. The key word is slowly. Eight to ten minutes over medium-low heat turns the vegetables soft and sweet without browning them. Rushing this step over high heat gives a soup that tastes thin no matter how long it simmers afterward. The same patient base starts our pasta Bolognese, and it does the same job here.

The Parmesan rind trick

A rind of Parmigiano Reggiano dropped into the broth is the single most useful habit in Italian soup cooking. The rind softens, releases savory flavor and a little fat, and thickens the broth slightly, all without the cheese clumping. Keep rinds in a bag in the freezer whenever you finish a wedge. If you have none, stir an extra 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan into the finished soup instead.

How to Make Pasta e Fagioli Step by Step

These stages make six generous servings in a heavy 5 to 6 quart pot. Chop everything before you start, because once the pancetta goes in, the soup moves quickly from stage to stage.

1. 01

   Stage 1: Render the pancetta

   Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the pot over medium heat and add the diced pancetta. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring now and then, until the fat has rendered and the edges are golden but not crisp. That rendered fat flavors everything that follows. If you are leaving the pancetta out, use 3 tablespoons of oil and move straight to the vegetables.

2. 02

   Stage 2: Sweat the soffritto

   Add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables have collapsed and smell sweet. There should be no color on them. If the pot starts to brown, add a tablespoon of water and keep stirring.

3. 03

   Stage 3: Toast the garlic and tomato paste

   Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, until it darkens from bright red to brick red and smells sweet rather than raw. This is the same step that makes our tomato paste pasta sauce taste slow-cooked, and it gives the soup its deep color.

4. 04

   Stage 4: Build the broth

   Pour in the crushed tomatoes and 5 cups of broth, then add the rosemary sprig, bay leaf, Parmesan rind, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil, lower to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. The broth will reduce slightly and take on the flavor of the rind and herbs.

5. 05

   Stage 5: Add the beans and build body

   Add the drained beans. Scoop out about 1 cup of beans with a little broth, mash them with a fork or blend them smooth, and stir the puree back into the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes. That mashed cup of beans is what gives pasta e fagioli its creamy body without a drop of cream. Taste the broth now and adjust the salt before the pasta goes in.

6. 06

   Stage 6: Cook the ditalini and finish

   Raise the heat to a steady simmer and add the ditalini. Cook for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring often so the pasta does not stick to the bottom, until al dente. Add a splash of broth if the soup tightens. Fish out the rind, rosemary sprig and bay leaf, take the pot off the heat and stir in the grated Parmesan, chopped rosemary and parsley. Rest for 5 minutes, then serve with olive oil and black pepper.

Cannellini vs Borlotti: Choosing the Beans

Pasta e fagioli works with any medium white or cranberry bean, but the two classic choices behave differently in the pot. The table compares them with the common substitutes.

Canned or dried

Canned beans make this a one-hour soup and the result is very good, especially once a cup of them is mashed into the broth. Rinse them well to wash off the metallic canning liquid. Dried beans take planning but give a deeper flavor and a silkier texture, and their cooking liquid is worth saving. For six servings, 1 cup (200 g) of dried beans replaces one 15-ounce can once cooked; use 2 cups dried to replace both cans.

Cooking dried beans for the soup

Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water, drain, then simmer in fresh water with a bay leaf and a garlic clove for 60 to 90 minutes until tender. Salt them only in the last 15 minutes. Use the beans plus 1 to 2 cups of their cooking liquid in place of an equal amount of broth. Many Italian cooks also puree a larger share of the beans when working from dried, because the texture is so creamy.

The Pasta: Ditalini and How to Cook It

Why ditalini

Ditalini means little thimbles: short tubes about the size of a bean. That matters because every spoonful should carry pasta and beans together. Small shells, tubetti, elbows and broken spaghetti all work. Anything larger than a bean makes the soup awkward to eat. Our guide to how to cook orzo covers another small shape that works well in soups, though orzo softens faster than ditalini.

In the pot or on the side

Cooking the pasta directly in the soup is the traditional method, and for good reason. The pasta releases starch into the broth and thickens it, and the pasta itself absorbs the flavor of the soup instead of plain water. The one drawback is leftovers: pasta keeps absorbing liquid as it sits, so yesterday’s soup becomes today’s stew. If you want the soup to last several days, cook the ditalini separately, store it with a little olive oil, and add it to each bowl when you reheat the base.

How much pasta

Eight ounces of ditalini for six servings sounds modest, but ditalini swells to nearly three times its dry volume in the soup. Add more than that and the beans disappear under the pasta. If you prefer a thicker, more stew-like bowl, increase it to 10 ounces and keep a cup of extra broth ready.

Variations: Vegetarian, Venetian-Style and Spicy

Vegetarian

Leave out the pancetta, start the soffritto in 3 tablespoons of olive oil and use vegetable broth. The Parmesan rind still provides the savory backbone. Add a 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika with the tomato paste if you miss the smoky edge of the pancetta. For a vegan pot, omit the rind and cheese and finish with a spoonful of white miso dissolved in a ladle of broth.

Venetian-style with borlotti

Use dried borlotti cooked as described above, puree about half of them into the broth, and leave out the crushed tomatoes entirely, keeping only the tomato paste. The result is thicker, browner and nuttier. Finish each bowl with a generous drizzle of the best olive oil you own and plenty of black pepper, and serve it warm rather than hot. In the Veneto it is often eaten at room temperature the next day.

Spicy and smoky

Raise the red pepper flakes to 1 teaspoon and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of Calabrian chili paste with the tomato paste. For a smokier version, swap the pancetta for 4 ounces of diced guanciale, the cured pork jowl that makes our pasta carbonara taste the way it does, or use a smoked ham hock simmered in the broth and shredded at the end.

Greens and sausage

Stir two large handfuls of chopped kale, escarole or spinach into the pot during the last 5 minutes of the pasta cooking time. For a heartier meal, brown 8 ounces of crumbled Italian sausage with the pancetta and reduce the salt by half, since sausage brings its own.

Make-Ahead, Storage and Reheating

Make the base ahead

The soup through Stage 5, before the pasta goes in, keeps for 4 days in the refrigerator and 3 months in the freezer. Cool it quickly in a shallow container, then refrigerate or freeze. On the day, bring it back to a simmer, add a splash of broth, and cook the ditalini in it as written. This is the best route for weeknight cooking and for feeding a crowd in stages.

Leftovers with pasta in them

Finished pasta e fagioli keeps for 3 days in the refrigerator. It will set into a thick stew once cold, which is normal. Reheat it in a pot over low heat with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of broth or water per serving, stirring until it loosens and turns glossy. The microwave works at medium power in 1-minute bursts with a splash of liquid. Do not boil it hard, or the pasta falls apart.

Freezing the finished soup

You can freeze the soup with pasta in it, but expect soft pasta and a broth that has lost some body. If you must, undercook the ditalini by 2 minutes before freezing. The far better option is to freeze the base only and cook fresh pasta when you reheat it.

Troubleshooting Pasta e Fagioli

Most problems with pasta e fagioli come down to liquid balance or a rushed soffritto. The table matches each symptom to its cause and fix.

The rescue for a thick pot

Pasta e fagioli thickens faster than almost any other soup because both the beans and the pasta keep absorbing liquid. The fix is always the same: add hot liquid, stir, and taste for salt, since every ladle of water dilutes the seasoning a little. If you want the soup thicker rather than thinner, the bean-mashing method here is better than any starch slurry, though our guide on how to thicken spaghetti sauce covers the alternatives.

Approximate Nutrition

Per serving, with pancetta

These figures are estimates for one of six servings made exactly as written, calculated from standard ingredient values. Your numbers will vary with the brand of beans, broth and pancetta, and with how much cheese and oil you add at the table.

Leaving out the pancetta removes roughly 70 calories and 6 grams of fat per bowl. Using low-sodium broth and rinsing the canned beans, as the recipe directs, keeps the sodium in check; regular broth can add 300 milligrams or more per serving. The beans supply most of the fiber and a good share of the protein, which is why a bowl of this soup is a complete meal on its own.

Pasta e Fagioli FAQs

Final Thoughts

The rule to remember

Pasta e fagioli rewards patience at the start and attention at the end. Cook the soffritto slowly, let the Parmesan rind do its quiet work in the broth, mash a cup of beans for body, and watch the ditalini so it stops at al dente. Keep extra broth within reach and the soup will be exactly as thick as you want it. For a weekend with more time, the long-simmered base of our homemade spaghetti sauce shows how the same tomato and soffritto logic works in a different pot.

The recipe

Pasta e Fagioli

A classic Italian bean and pasta soup for six: pancetta, a slow soffritto, toasted tomato paste, rosemary, a Parmesan rind simmered in the broth, cannellini beans and ditalini cooked right in the pot.

Prep

15 min

Cook

45 min

Total

60 min

Serves

6

Print recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil [30 ml], plus more to serve
• 4 ounces pancetta, diced small [115 g], optional
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped [about 150 g]
• 2 medium carrots, finely diced [about 150 g]
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced [about 100 g]
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes [0.5 g], optional
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste [32 g]
• 1 can crushed tomatoes, 14.5 ounces [400 g]
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth [1.2 liters], plus more as needed
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, about 4 inches, plus 1 teaspoon finely chopped leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Parmesan rind, about 2 by 3 inches [60 g]
• 1 teaspoon fine salt [6 g], plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper [1 g]
• 2 cans cannellini beans, 15 ounces each, drained and rinsed [about 500 g drained], or borlotti
• 1 1/3 cups ditalini [8 ounces, 225 g]
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano [50 g], plus more to serve
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

1. Warm the olive oil in a heavy 5 to 6 quart pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring now and then, until the fat has rendered and the edges are golden. If you skip the pancetta, use 3 tablespoons of oil instead.
2. Add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft and sweet but not browned.
3. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes until it darkens to brick red.
4. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and broth. Add the rosemary sprig, bay leaf, Parmesan rind, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
5. Add the beans. Scoop out 1 cup of beans with a little broth, mash them with a fork or blend until smooth, and stir the puree back into the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Raise the heat to a steady simmer and add the ditalini. Cook for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring often so the pasta does not stick, until al dente. Add a splash of broth or hot water if the soup looks thicker than a loose stew.
7. Remove the Parmesan rind, rosemary sprig and bay leaf. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the grated Parmesan, chopped rosemary and parsley. Taste and adjust the salt. Let the soup rest for 5 minutes.
8. Ladle into warm bowls. Finish each with a drizzle of olive oil, a grind of black pepper and more Parmesan.

Notes

Vegetarian: omit the pancetta, use 3 tablespoons of olive oil and vegetable broth; keep the Parmesan rind. Dried beans: soak 2 cups (400 g) overnight, simmer 60 to 90 minutes until tender and use with 1 to 2 cups of their cooking liquid in place of some broth. For leftovers, cook the ditalini separately and add it to each bowl, because pasta left in the pot keeps absorbing broth. The base through step 5 keeps 4 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen. Reheat leftovers gently with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of broth per serving. Nutrition is approximate: about 425 calories, 13 g fat, 55 g carbohydrates, 9 g fiber and 19 g protein per serving.