Pasta e fagioli soup is one of those dishes we made in Rome when we didn't have a planned meal and needed to use up what was in the fridge. It is a traditional piatto unico from rural Italy, where the pasta and the beans gave families who could not afford meat the nutrition of a first and a second course in one bowl.
Jump to:
In our house in Rome, lunch was the big meal of the day and we always kept dinner light and easy, so pasta e fagioli was a dinner dish.
My mother always cooked the beans in the pressure cooker, which had them ready in only 30 minutes.
For me the classic is pasta e fagioli with borlotti beans.
When they come into season at the end of summer, it is one of the first autumn one-pot dinners I make.
For this recipe I follow the traditional method instead of the pressure cooker, and I even make the pasta from scratch.
There is no single recipe for pasta e fagioli, because it comes from cucina povera, where you cooked with whatever you had.
That is why there are so many versions, each one built on the ingredients used locally.
For more one-pot dishes made with what is already in the fridge, you can check my gattò di patate, one pot pasta and potatoes, ciambotta, Romanesco broccoli soup and baked veggie frittata.
What is pasta e fagioli
Pasta e fagioli means pasta and beans, and it is one of the most complete examples of a piatto unico, a single course that does the work of a first and a second course.
The carbohydrates of the pasta and the protein of the beans fed rural families who could not afford meat.
In Storia della cucina italiana, Alberto Capatti and Massimo Montanari describe how beans were long seen as peasant food.
The dish grew out of the culture of hunger and later crossed social boundaries to become part of Italy's gastronomic heritage.
Regional variations of pasta e fagioli
Each area made pasta e fagioli with what it grew locally, so the dish changes from region to region.
- In Naples, the pasta cooks in the pot with the beans, and its starch thickens the broth into a dense, creamy soup called azzeccata. The Neapolitan version is made with dried beans, pasta, garlic, olive oil or lard, and tomato.
- In the North, the pasta is boiled separately and added to a clearer broth.
- In Lombardy, the beans were cooked into a thick soup called macco.
The beans changed too, because the common bean used today only arrived from the Americas in the 16th century and replaced older varieties such as the black-eyed pea.
Ingredients for traditional pasta e fagioli soup
- Borlotti beans. They are the classic for me. They are usually called cranberry beans in the US, and sometimes Roman beans. I use fresh ones at the end of summer when they are in season, and otherwise dried beans soaked overnight.
- Pasta. In this recipe I make fresh egg pasta with 00 flour, eggs and salt, but you can use small ditalini or a mix of the leftover pasta in your boxes. This is the meal you make to empty your cupboards.
- Potatoes. They are optional, and you do not need them if you add pasta.
- Onion, carrot and celery. They make the soffritto.
- Bacon. I used bacon here, but guanciale, lard or cotiche work too.
- Chilli peppers and sage. They are a classic with beans, and I couldn't cook beans without them.
- Tomato concentrate: to add flavor and colour.
- Parmesan crust. There is always a lot of cheese left on the crust when you finish a piece of Parmesan. Italians never throw anything away, so we clean the crust by grating away the outer part and put it in soups and ragù, where it cooks with the other ingredients and comes out at the end.
- White wine. It deglazes the pot.
- Stock. Chicken or beef stock covers the beans.
- Parmesan and extra virgin olive oil. They go on top when you serve.
As a curiosity, I only use canned beans when we are sailing. Canned beans with Tropea onion and canned tuna is a classic lunch on board.
Find the measurements in the recipe card.
For the homemade pasta
- 00 flour: all purpose flour
- Eggs
- Salt
Find the measurements in the recipe card.
Equipment
You need a pot that keeps the temperature steady for a long time.
I use my soapstone pot, but a casserole works too.
The old way was to leave the pot in the fireplace overnight, next to the ashes, as in my chickpeas on a campfire recipe.
Step by step instructions
For the homemade pasta
Work the flour, eggs and salt into a dough
Let it rest for 30 minutes wrapped in cling film.
Roll the dough into lasagna sheets
Then reduce the thickness down to setting 4 of the pasta rollers.
For more information, check my article on homemade pasta dough.
Cut the sheets into uneven diamonds, because perfection is the opposite of what we are looking for.
Let the pasta dry on a floured surface.
For the soup
If you use fresh borlotti beans, remove them from their pods. If you use dried borlotti beans, soak them overnight and drain them.
Stir-fry the soffritto, then add the bacon and cook it until it is nicely brown.
Add the beans and stir
Deglaze with the white wine.
Add the chilli, the chopped sage, the tomato concentrate and the Parmesan crust, then cover everything with the stock.
Boil for 2 hours, checking from time to time whether you need to add more stock.
If you use potatoes, add them chopped for the last 30 minutes.
Remove the Parmesan crust.
Take out some of the beans with the potatoes, blend them
Stir them back into the pot and add more stock if needed
Then add the pasta and cook it for its cooking time, which is 4 minutes for fresh pasta.
Serve immediately.
Serving suggestions
Serve it immediately with freshly grated Parmesan and a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil.
Pasta e fagioli is a one-pot dinner, so I serve it on its own.
FAQ
What do you serve with pasta e fagioli? Nothing, because it is a one-pot dinner and a complete meal on its own.
Can you freeze pasta e fagioli? Yes, it is perfect for freezing, but freeze the bean soup without the pasta. Add freshly cooked pasta just before you eat it.
How do you pronounce pasta e fagioli? In Italian it is pasta e fa-JOH-lee. "Pasta fazool" and "pasta fasul" are American ways of saying it, and they are not Italian words.
More one pot dishes to free up the fridge
If you are making this pasta e fagioli, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.
Traditional Pasta e Fagioli Soup Recipe
Verified Culinary AuthorityIngredients
- 1 lb dried borlotti beans 450 g
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 2 ½ oz bacon, guanciale, lard or cotiche 75 g
- 2 chilli peppers
- 4 sage leaves chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato concentrate
- 1 Parmesan crust
- ½ cup white wine 120 ml
- 2 cups chicken or beef stock, plus more if needed 500 ml
- 3 small potatoes chopped (optional)
- 1 cups 00 flour (fresh pasta) 250 g
- 2 eggs fresh pasta
- 1 teaspoon salt fresh pasta
- Freshly grated Parmesan and extra virgin olive oil to serve
Instructions
For the homemade pasta
- Work the flour, eggs and salt into a dough
- Let it rest for 30 minutes wrapped in cling film.
- Roll the dough into lasagna sheets
- Then reduce the thickness down to setting 4 of the pasta rollers.
- Cut the sheets into uneven diamonds, because perfection is the opposite of what we are looking for.
- Let the pasta dry covered on a floured surface.
For the soup
- If you use fresh borlotti beans, remove them from their pods. If you use dried borlotti beans, soak them overnight and drain them.
- Stir-fry the soffritto, then add the bacon and cook it until it is nicely brown.
- Add the beans and deglaze with the white wine.
- Add the chilli, the chopped sage, the tomato concentrate and the Parmesan crust, and cover everything with the stock.
- Boil for 2 hours, checking from time to time whether you need to add more stock.
- If you use potatoes, add them chopped for the last 30 minutes.
- Remove the Parmesan crust.
- Take out some of the beans with the potatoes
- Blend them and stir them back into the pot.
- Add more stock if needed, then add the pasta and cook it for its cooking time, which is 4 minutes for fresh pasta.
- Serve immediately.
Leave a Reply