Pasta e fagioli

Pasta e fagioli is a nostalgic Italian recipe for me. I have such fond memories of my mom making the soup (even though, I hate to say, I didn’t love eating it when I was growing up). She would always save the ham bone from our Christmas ham, and boil it with the beans. To this day, even though she hardly ever eats ham, she still sticks that ham bone in the freezer after Christmas to save for pasta e fagioli. 

So what is pasta e fagioli? In its most basic form, it is pasta and beans. There are countless ways to make it, and there are variations in every household all over Italy. Even if you’ve never had it, you’ve almost certainly heard of it, for it’s a strong part of Italian American culture. (In New York it’s often called pasta fazool, as in: “When the stars make you drool, just like pasta fazool, that’s amore!”) 

There’s really no wrong way to make pasta e fagioli. The version I’m sharing with you today is the version I’ve had on repeat lately. It’s thick and hearty and shares some qualities of my mom’s version, but there are some notable differences.

Let’s break down what is (and isn’t) in my version. 

The Smokey Ham Flavor

Since I’m mostly vegetarian, I wasn’t sure I could make a pasta e fagioli that tasted similar to my mom’s without the ham. I wanted to try, though. (And let it be known that my mom, when she found out I was doing this for my blog, did offer me the ham bone from her freezer). Instead of ham, I decided to try something very non-traditional: I added a touch of smoked paprika. The results are not the same as cooking beans with ham but you can get the smokey flavor this way without the meat. This step is completely optional, for the soup really tastes wonderful either way. 

The Beans

So you don’t need to use ham or paprika but there is one thing I’m going to insist you do: use dried beans. Canned beans just are not going to give you the rich bean broth that makes this soup so good and comforting. Any white bean works well. I recently tried navy beans for this soup and loved the result. Technically you don’t need to cook the entire pound, but I always do and save the extra beans for another meal. 

I also use the Instant Pot to cook my beans, but you can certainly do everything on the stove top. Please note that the time listed below is based on navy beans. A larger bean, such as great northern, may take a little longer.

The Pasta

There are many people out there who hate cooking pasta in the same pot as the soup. Why? Because the pasta absorbs a lot of the liquid and turns gummy, especially leftover. I agree and often cook the pasta separately when making soup – but not always. Pasta e fagioli is one of those exceptions. I love the way the pasta thickens the soup and makes it almost creamy. Plus my mom always cooked the pasta in the soup, so there’s a nostalgic factor there too. It does come at a cost, however. The leftover soup will be very thick, and I usually need to add water when reheating. So if you’re cooking the soup ahead of time, definitely cook the pasta separately. 

As for what type of pasta to use, I like using small pastina (usually acini de pepe but I also recently tried pasta a riso, which is like a smaller version of orzo). Sometimes I use something slightly bigger, such as ditalini. Any small pasta will work, however. 

Tomatoes or no tomatoes 

Many versions of pasta e fagioli use tomatoes or tomato paste. I chose not to use them in this version. I love the flavor of the beans so much that I like to keep the soup as simple as possible.  

Finally, I will say this: you will notice that my measurements are not exact. A few things I list as optional. Why? Because that’s the beauty of pasta e fagioli. It doesn’t need to be exact. Use what you have, use what you like, and make it your own. Use my method as a starting point. 

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Pasta e fagioli

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Pasta e fagioli means pasta and beans in Italian. There's no wrong way to make this soup. My mother and Nonna always cooked the beans with a ham bone. This is my attempt to make it vegetarian.

Ingredients

• ¾ to 1 pound of navy beans or other white bean, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
• Salt and pepper
• 5 - 7 cloves of garlic, divided
• Fresh thyme
• 6 ½ cups of water or vegetable broth or a combination of both
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 3 - 4 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
• Parmigiano rind (optional)
• ½ cup of pastina (such as acini de pepe) or other small pasta (see pasta note above)
• 1 cup of kale, large stem removed and leaves chopped
• Parsley for garnish

Instructions

1

Add the following to the Instant Pot: the beans, two generous pinches of salt, some freshly ground pepper, 3 - 4 garlic cloves, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, and 6 ½ cups of water or broth. Secure the lid and set the pressure cook to 30 minutes. When done, let the pressure release naturally. This step can be done ahead of time. Discard the thyme stems and garlic before using the beans, but be sure to save all of that wonderful cooking liquid for the soup.

2

When the beans are done or nearly done, begin preparing the rest of the ingredients. Add the chopped onion, carrots, celery, and 2 to 3 cloves of garlic to a food processor and pulse until everything is finely minced. Don’t overprocess: you’re looking for tiny pieces of vegetables, not a smooth puree. This mixture is called the mirepoix or soffritto.

3

Heat several drizzles of olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the soffritto to the pot and saute slowly for 15 to 20 minutes. This may seem like a long time, but this is an important step for building a lot of flavor. Stir often and if the pot becomes too dry, add a little more olive oil and turn down the heat. The goal is to cook the mixture down slowly.

4

Once the soffritto has cooked down and started to brown slightly, add the paprika (if using) and cook for another minute. Next add the beans and all of the liquid the beans cooked in. How many beans is up to you. I cook the entire pound and then usually set aside about a cup or so to use in another dish. Use most of the beans for a thick soup. Reduce the number of beans for a more brothy soup. Either way, be sure to use all of the cooking liquid. Add the parmigiano rind (if using) and taste the beans to see if they need more salt. Simmer everything for at least 15 minutes. Add a little extra water, if needed.

5

Next add the pastina (see the note above about adding pasta to the soup) and a handful or two of chopped kale. (I sometimes add a little parsley at this point too). Let the soup simmer for another 7 - 10 minutes. Taste and see if it needs more salt. Garnish with chopped parsley.

6

Remember that this soup will continue to thicken once the pasta has been added, so it is best served right away. If serving later, wait to add the pasta until almost ready to serve (or cook the pasta separately). I love eating the soup with a little freshly grated parmigiano reggiano and pepper on top. Enjoy!