Pasta e Fagioli
A hearty Italian chicken built around cannellini or borlotti beans, ditalini or small pasta and passata or chopped tomatoes — roughly 60 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 6 steps.
You'll mainly reach for large pot and saucepan. At medium difficulty across 6 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (8)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and gently soften the finely diced onion, carrot and celery for about 8 minutes until fragrant and translucent.
- Stir in the minced garlic and the rosemary and cook for another minute until aromatic, then add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes to concentrate.
- Drain and rinse the beans, then mash about a third of them lightly and add all the beans to the pot along with the broth and the parmesan rind for depth.
- Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 15 minutes so the flavours meld and the broth thickens slightly from the mashed beans.
- Stir in the pasta and cook until al dente, about 9-11 minutes, adding a little more broth or water if the soup becomes too thick.
- Remove the rosemary and parmesan rind, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve drizzled with olive oil and a grating of cheese.
You'll use: Large pot · Saucepan
Ingredient substitutions
- Parmesan
- pecorino · grana padano · aged asiago
What to serve with Pasta e Fagioli
- Spaghetti Bolognese Beef
- Spicy Arrabiata Penne Vegetarian
- Vegan Lasagna Vegan
- Mediterranean Pasta Salad Seafood
Tips & common questions
How long does Pasta e Fagioli take to make?
About 60 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 6 steps and 12 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of parmesan?
Try pecorino. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Pasta e Fagioli is an original Italian recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Pasta e fagioli con Bottarga di baccalà islandese (misto di gragnano con fagioli di Sorana e Bottarga di Baccalà).jpg by TuscanyEvents, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.