Vegetarian pasta fagioli is a simple, rustic Italian bean and pasta soup that’s extremely easy to make and can be on the table in just about 30 minutes. What’s fabulous about pasta e fagioli is that it’s like two recipes in one – add a bit more stock for a soup and a bit less for a pasta dish!
Just like with caponata, the eggplant antipasto recipe I recently posted on the blog, you’d be hard pressed to find just one master recipe for pasta e fagioli.
There are lots of regional variations – some tomato-based, others stock-based; some thin, others thick; some vegetarian, others include pancetta or parmesan. The only thing you can be sure about is that you need pasta and beans.
Vegetarian pasta fagioli is the kind of dish you can make year-round. As with all soups, it’s warm, comforting and hearty in the winter, but with the addition of seasonal veggies like zucchini and fresh tomato you’ve got yourself a delicious, refreshing, vitamin-packed summer soup that makes a great vegan main dish just served with a bit of crusty bread.
While the idea of a hot soup in the summer might not sound appealing, if you’ve got a vegetable garden, soup is an easy no-fuss way to use what’s ripe at the moment.
Last year the basil in my urban garden went a little wild and I used it not only to make pesto, but also soupe au pistou, which is a French summertime pasta-bean soup and very similar to pasta e fagioli but with the addition of a delicious pesto-like sauce.
But if you still prefer cold soups in the summertime, don’t worry, you’ll find a ton here on the blog! And if you're a fan hearty of Italian soups, you'll love my version of vegan white bean and kale soup with a secret ingredient in place of the Parmesan cheese!
This vegetarian pasta fagioli recipe makes enough to feed four and it’s best if you eat it as soon as it’s prepared. Once you add the pasta, the soup will start to thicken up and the pasta could get mushy.
So if you’re not sure that you’ll be able to finish it in one sitting, store the pasta separately from the soup until you’re ready to serve. You can also freeze the soup without the pasta and simply cook up some fresh pasta when you’re ready for it.
Wanna see how easy Vegetarian Pasta Fagioli is to make? Watch the video!
Vegetarian Pasta Fagioli
Vegetarian pasta fagioli is a simple, rustic Italian bean and pasta soup that’s extremely easy to make and can be on the table in just about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Half an onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 780 gram can (28 oz) of whole tomatoes
- 570 gram jar (20 oz) of white beans
- 125 grams (4.5 oz) baby spinach
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Pepper, to taste
- 200 grams (7 oz) short pasta
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and add the oil, onion, carrot and celery. Fry for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and transparent.
- Add the garlic and fry until soft, then add the zucchini and basil. Fry for another couple of minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the tomatoes and their juice and use your spoon to break them into smaller pieces.
- Add the beans and their liquid, spinach, vegetable stock, parsley, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile in a separate pot, cook the the pasta until al dente. Drain and add the pasta to the soup. Serve immediately.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 378Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 496mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 15gSugar: 8gProtein: 21g
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Angie - WhippedGreenGirl says
Looks super yummy Melissa! I got loads of veggies right now too- perfect post for this time of year 😉 Pinning it now
Melissa says
Thanks Angie, let me know if you try it!
Trisha says
How many servings does this make? We are 5 people I’m thinking I might have to double the recipe
Melissa says
It serves 4
Christine says
How much garlic do you use....it's not in the ingredients list but is in the directions
Melissa says
Thanks for catching that, I've corrected the recipe. Two cloves, minced.
Luz says
My husband loves all kinds of soups. I love this particular recepie. So easy and not as much work. I will be looking out for more soup recepies.
Thank you
Lucie
Melissa says
Thank you Lucie!
Jeanne says
I just made this delightful pasta fagioli and was wondering if you have put together the nutritional values for the ingredients as I'm watching calories and protein. Would love to hear from you........thanks!!!
Melissa says
Hi Jeanne, I'm happy you enjoyed the recipe. Usually when you see nutritional values on a recipe the blogger has used an app to calculate it. I haven't yet found an app that I think calculates accurately so for that reason I don't include nutritional information. I'd rather not say anything than give incorrect information! This website has some links to online nutrition calculators that you could try.
trysh says
1carrot 1 celery stalk? Is the for 1 person?
Melissa says
Serves 4
Libby says
Does this freeze well?
Melissa says
I´ve never tried freezing it but I don´t imagine it would be a problem. It´s similar to a minestrone and google says you can freeze that so I´d follow the same instructions.
Trish says
Very nice! Made this this evening and it was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. We have enough for tomorrow night and we're very happy about it! Simple, easy, and quick to pull together. Thanks for a great soup for a cold night! Definitely making this many times over.
Melissa says
Great, thanks Trish. So glad you enjoyed it!
Vedge says
Just made this for dinner. I doubled the zucchini since I just bought a bag of slightly bruised zucchini for 99¢ on the discount produce rack. I didn't have spinach, so I omitted that. This turned out really well! Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Melissa says
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
Damaris says
Thanks for the recipe I will be trying it tonight.
Taylor Ewers says
Can you put it in a crock pot ?
Melissa says
Probably. I don´t have one so I´ve never tried but I imagine it´s like any other soup in a slow cooker.
Amy Guinn says
How about doing this in a crockpot? Of course cook pasta separate as well and wait ti add the spinach in till right before serving.
Melissa says
I don't have a crock pot so I've never tried but it the way you suggest sounds like it would work fine!
stephanie says
so yummy! i added broccoli and cauliflower, as well as mushrooms and vegan ground beef !!
Angel says
Turned out great! Thank you.
Tanya Lovett says
This dish was delicious!
Hannah says
Can I keep in the fridge for a couple days?
Melissa says
Yes, but I recommend keeping the pasta separate from the soup or else it will suck up all the broth.
Tins says
Are these vegan Pasta I can't find vegan pasta anywhere help me please
Angie says
Most Italian pasta is vegan. Just semolina. Look in the pasta isle for 100 percent semolina.
Mary says
This is seriously delicious soup. I always double it because we like to have lots of extras. I keep the pasta and the soup separate so we can store it. It is perfect just the way it is too! So yummy! Thank you!
Yang says
The pasta fagioli looks delicious! The colors on it look really pretty, but to add a beautiful dark green to it, can I add broccoli to the mix? My family has only been having lots of meat and junk food recently, and I'm greatly concerned about their health. This healthy recipe would surely make them crave a bowl or two.
Sue says
We just made this. It is delicious and so easy! We had some rose wine left over so we put that in as well. We'll be making this for years to come
Thank you for this recipe.
Rachel Groesser says
This recipe came out perfect! Made it tonight and it was delicious. Probably my new favorite soup recipe. Thanks!
Rachel says
Love love this recipe! It's a staple in my meals list now. Thank you!
Patricia says
HI Melissa
I made the soup tonight for dinner. It was better than I expected, delicious! I even made the beans from scratch. That was easy too I just had to make sure I started a couple of hours sooner. I’m glad I made double the recipe so I have plenty leftover. Thank you for an excellent recipe, I will be making this soup often.
Maggie Crescenza says
I just love this recipe. Hearty and just delicious. I make it very often
Ashley says
I have made this recipe again and again. It is my family’s favorite! Thank you for sharing it