Italian white bean soup (pasta fagioli) is made with cannellini beans, carrots, celery, chicken stock, and onions and it's so delicious and comforting. This soup is simple, delicious, big on flavor and so easy to make.

If you asked me what food I could eat for the rest of my life, this white bean soup, or any soup recipe, would be it. Hearty soups are at the core of my cooking because they are economical and so comforting.

This Italian pasta fagioli soup is a family recipe that we have been making for years. It is my family's favorite soup recipe and it is so comforting and perfect in the cooler months.

This soup along with my recipes for olive oil pasta, gnocchi, and Italian meatballs are always at the top of the list for when we are craving a classic Italian meal.

Pasta Fagioli ingredients

Carrots: Carrots make up the base flavor of the soup.
Celery: You only need a little of this and like the carrots, it is the base flavor for the broth.
Italian cannellini beans: These are starchy Italian white beans that make the soup nice and creamy. If you cannot find them, any white bean will do. These are pureed into the broth and added in whole.
Chicken stock (good quality)
Parmesan cheese. I like to add the rind into the soup and grate some fresh for the top of the soup.
Bay leaf: This adds a light earthy note to the soup.
Oregano: Dried oregano or fresh will work.
Kosher salt and pepper: If you are using regular table salt, use half the amount in the recipe.
Garlic: Make sure to only use fresh garlic. It makes all the difference in the flavor.
Onion: regular yellow onion, not sweet onion.
Red pepper flakes (optional but highly recommended): This adds depth of flavor to the soup.
Canned tomatoes: I like to use diced tomatoes.
Olive oil: Try to use extra virgin olive oil if you have it.
Dry pasta: I like to use ditalini (or another small pasta)

How to make

Puree some of the beans then set aside
Cut and prepare the carrots, celery, and garlic.
Sauté your vegetables
Add your stock, diced tomatoes, pureed beans, and whole beans, and mix well.
Add your spices and Parmesan rind
Let simmer
Cook the pasta
Add cooked pasta to individual bowls and top with soup.

So simple. It does not take much to throw this Italian fagioli soup together.

Recipe Tips

Traditionally pasta fagioli uses a very small pasta shape called ditalini pasta. Don't stress out if you can't find the ditalini. Any smaller shape of pasta will do.
One of the things that is important when making pasta for this soup is to not cook the pasta in the soup. When I make pasta for this fagioli, I never cook it in the soup because the pasta will absorb all of the broth and get mushy. To avoid this, I make the pasta then drain it and pour olive oil over the pasta to prevent it from sticking to itself. I just set the pasta aside until the soup is ready.

Serving

If you were eating this Italian white bean soup (fagioli) at my house, you would hear me asking everyone at the table if they remembered to pepper their fagioli before eating it. Copious amounts of freshly ground black pepper are a must when eating this Italian soup.

You need to grind a good amount of fresh black pepper over top of your bowl before eating.

Pairing Ideas

If you are looking for ideas of what to serve with this Italian white bean soup, here are our favorites:

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Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Italian White Bean Soup (Pasta e Fagioli)

Italian white bean soup (pasta fagioli) is made with cannellini beans, carrots, celery, chicken stock, and onions and it's so delicious and comforting. This soup is simple, delicious, big on flavor and so easy to make.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Servings: servings

Author: Melissa Oleary

Ingredients

32 oz box of good quality chicken stock or if you have homemade even better
30 oz cans of cannellini beans drained and rinsed
½ lb ditalini pasta
15 oz can of cannellini beans for the puree, drained and rinsed
15 oz can of diced tomatoes
5 medium sized carrots diced
2 celery spears diced
1 small yellow onion diced
3 cloves of garlic finely diced
a pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tablespoon olive oil for sauteeing
2 tablespoon olive oil for puree
1 tablespoon olive oil for drizzling over cooked pasta
1 teaspoon Kosher salt and pepper plus more salt to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
½ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated for serving
1 Parmesan rind if you save the rinds of your Parmesan then throw that into the soup. If you do not, you can cut the rind off of the block of Parmesan you are using.

Instructions

Add olive oil to a large pot over medium heat.
2 tablespoon olive oil for sauteeing
Once pot is heated add onions, garlic, celery, carrots and red pepper flakes and saute for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and carrots and celery are slightly softened.
5 medium sized carrots, 2 celery spears, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 small yellow onion, a pinch of red pepper flakes
While the veggies are sauteeing, add one can of cannellini beans that have been drained and rinsed to a food processor (or blender) with olive oil and puree until it is smooth. You may need to add water if the paste is too thick and not blending well. When done set aside.
15 oz can of cannellini beans, 2 tablespoon olive oil for puree
Now, add your chicken stock to the pot of sautéing vegetables along with your pureed beans and mix well. The pureed beans will mix in more after heating up in the soup so don't worry about some lumps.
32 oz box of good quality chicken stock
Add the rinsed cannellini beans, diced tomatoes, oregano, bay leaf, parmesan rind (if you have one to add) and salt and pepper to taste.
32 oz box of good quality chicken stock, 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 bay leaf, 1 Parmesan rind, 30 oz cans of cannellini beans
Let simmer for about 30 minutes.
In the meantime in another pot boil some water for your ditalini pasta. Cook the pasta per the box instructions.
½ lb ditalini pasta
When the pasta is done strain it and add it to a bowl (not the soup) and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking. Set aside
NOTE: If you add the pasta to the soup it will absorb all the soup liquid and expand and eventually you'll be left with no broth.
1 tablespoon olive oil for drizzling over cooked pasta
To serve, place a heaping spoonful of pasta in a soup bowl then add your Fagioli soup over top. Add a ¼ of your freshly grated Parmesan cheese to each bowl. Discard the Parmesan rind and bay leaf before serving.
½ cup Parmesan cheese
Serve with some crusty garlic bread and lots of freshly grated black pepper!
Enjoy!!

Notes

Storing:

If you have leftover soup, allow it to cool on the counter then cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Nutrition