Pasta Fagioli Soup

Pasta fagioli (pronounced “fazool” in many Italian-American kitchens) is the soulful Italian peasant soup that’s all about beans and pasta sharing the same pot. The smart trick in this version is mashing half the cannellini beans before they go in, while leaving the kidney beans whole. That dual approach gives the broth creamy body from the mashed white beans plus visual texture from the whole red beans.

The bacon is the move that pulls this from vegetable soup into proper pasta fagioli territory. Cooking it with the aromatics in olive oil renders its smoky fat into the base, creating depth that no broth alone could deliver. Skip the bacon and you’ve got a fine bean soup, but not pasta fagioli.

Ditalini, the short tube pasta, is traditional for this soup. Its small size lets it cook directly in the broth and gets eaten with the beans on a single spoon. Cook the pasta directly in the soup as written, since the starch releases into the broth and thickens it slightly. Serve with crusty Italian bread, grated Parmesan, and a drizzle of good olive oil on top of each bowl.

Chef Tips

• Mash the cannellini beans with a fork before adding as written. This is the key to the creamy body.
• Watch the pasta closely. Ditalini cooks fast and overcooked pasta turns the soup gummy.
• Use undrained cannellini beans. The starchy bean liquid adds body to the broth.
• Eat leftovers within 2 days or remove the pasta if storing longer. Pasta keeps absorbing broth and turns mushy.

Variations

• Stir in 2 cups of fresh spinach, kale, or escarole during the last 5 minutes for a green vegetable boost.
• Add a Parmesan rind to the simmering broth for deep umami flavor.
• Use pancetta instead of bacon for a more authentic Italian smoky-cured pork flavor.