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    Blog posts by Rosanna ETC » Food

    Pasta & Kidney Beans Soup (Pasta e Fagioli)

    Published: Nov 16, 2021 · Modified: Jan 11, 2022 by Rosanna Stevens · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Pasta e Fagioli is a hearty pasta and kidney beans soup, from the heartland of delicious food, Italy. It's a filling lunch ready in under 30 minutes and tastes absolutely amazing. Plus, you can make a batch of it at the weekend and enjoy it all week long - it's a real time-saver.

    Pasta and kidney beans soup (Pasta e Fagioli) originates from the Campania region of Italy and was considered a peasant dish due to its simple ingredients, but simple is often best and this soup packs a punch of flavour whilst being cheap to create and easy to make!

    We make a tomato stew, starting with bacon or pancetta to flavour the fat and cook the onion before adding garlic, oregano, bay leaves and a hint of chilli spice. The kidney beans soup is cooked with chicken broth to give it some meaty depth and I add parmesan rind too as it really gives it the nuttiness I love. Nothing is wasted, we add the liquid from the kidney beans too. Save your onion skin to make your own broth in future, I put it in zip lock bags in the freezer until I'm ready to use it.

    So, pasta e fagioli. Read on!

    pasta and kidney beans soup

    Pasta e Fagioli (or Pasta Fazool) is a delicious cold-weather soup as it's so cosy and warms you up.

    Looking for other soups? Try these...

    Butternut squash and crispy sage

    Smoked sausage and cabbage

    Cheesy beer soup

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Wine pairing
    • Substitutions and variations
    • Equipment
    • Storage
    • Pasta and kidney beans soup, pasta e fagiloli

    Ingredients

    • Pasta

    I use good quality elbow pasta for this recipe but conchigliette (small shells) will work well too.

    We cook our pasta separately rather than all in one pot, as it tends to overcook this way in my opinion and I am not a fan of floppy engorged pasta.

    • Bacon

    You can either use bacon or pancetta for this pasta e fagioli recipe.

    • Onion
    • Garlic
    • Kidney beans

    Don't drain your kidney beans as we use the liquid!

    • Canned tomatoes

    Whole canned tomatoes will always be the best quality, followed by chopped, followed by pureed. So it's better to buy the whole canned tomatoes and then chop or blend them yourself with an immersion blender in the tin.

    • Chicken broth

    Use homemade or store-bought both but if store-bought, get the low sodium.

    • Chilli flakes

    This adds a subtle warmth that is SO good in cold weather, it really heats you up from the inside out.

    • Oregano
    • Parmesam cheese
    • Bay leaves

    I grate parmesan over the top as a garnish, but an excellent thing to do is keep all of your old parmesan rinds in the freezer and add them to soups and stews whilst they're cooking to give extra flavour. So, if you have an old parmesan rind, use this too whilst the soup is cooking!

    • Parsley

    Fresh parsley works best as a garnish for this dish

    • Butter and olive oil
    • Salt and pepper

    See the recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    Dice your onion into small pieces, crush your garlic into a paste and cut your bacon into thin strips.

    In a large casserole pot or dutch oven heat the butter and cook the bacon until it's crispy, before removing it to a plate.

    Add the onion to the bacon fat, and cook it until softened.

    Stir through the garlic, chilli flakes and oregano and cook for another one or two minutes.

    Pour in the kidney beans plus their liquid and then add the tomatoes and chicken broth.

    Add the bay leaves, bacon and parmesan rind (if using), season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer for 20 minutes.

    When you have ten minutes left on the clock, bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil.

    Cook your pasta for five or six minutes so it is still al dente, and then drain it and serve in warm bowls.

    Ladle the soup over the top of the pasta and garnish it with freshly grated parmesan and chopped parsley.

    a spoonful of pasta and kidney beans soup

    Wine pairing

    Pasta E Fagioli works wonderfully with a medium-bodied red wine like a Chianti/Sangiovese or Barbera, or perhaps a Californian Cabernet Sauvignon. If you are intent on drinking white wine then try a Verdicchio or a Falanghina.

    Substitutions and variations

    Here are a few ways to adapt this pasta and kidney beans soup to suit you.

    • Beans - instead of kidney beans you could use white cannelini beans
    • Spicy - you can add more or less chilli flakes to this pasta and kidney beans soup to adjust the heat level
    • Vegan - Just omit the bacon and butter, use vegetable stock and oil instead. And vegan cheese because cheese is life.

    Equipment

    You will need a casserole pot or dutch oven, and a saucepan for the pasta.

    Storage

    Store any leftovers in the fridge, they'll be good for 2-3 days.

    You can freeze any leftover soup, and then when ready to eat, just defrost it and cook the pasta separately to stir through.

    Pasta and Kidney beans soup by Rosanna ETC

    Pasta and kidney beans soup, pasta e fagiloli

    An easy and delicious pasta and kidney beans soup that is great for batch cooking and can be scaled up or down.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 25 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Main Course, Soup
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 649 kcal

    Equipment

    • Dutch oven/casserole pot
    • Saucepan

    Ingredients
      

    • 200 grams bacon
    • 150 grams elbow pasta dry weight
    • 5 cloves garlic
    • 1 onion
    • 1 litre chicken broth
    • 800 grams can tomatoes
    • 800 grams kidney beans keep the liquid
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1 parmesan rind
    • 3 tablespoon grated parmesan
    • 3 tablespoon chopped parsley
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 20 grams butter
    • salt and pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Dice your onion, crush your garlic and cut your bacon into strips.
    • In a large casserole pot or dutch oven heat some butter and cook the bacon until it's crispy, before removing it to a plate.
    • Add the onion to the bacon fat, and cook it until softened. 
    • Stir through the garlic, chilli flakes and oregano and cook for another one or two minutes. 
    • Pour in the kidney beans plus their liquid and then add the tomatoes and chicken broth.
    • Add the bay leaves, bacon and parmesan rind (if using), season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer for 20 minutes.
    • When you have ten minutes left on the clock, bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil.
    • Cook your pasta for five or six minutes so it is still al dente, and then drain it and serve in warm bowls.
    • Ladle the soup over the top of the pasta and garnish it with freshly grated parmesan and chopped parsley. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 649kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 18gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 276mgPotassium: 1032mgFiber: 14gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 366IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 129mgIron: 6mg
    Keyword pasta and kidney beans soup, pasta e fagioli, pasta fazool
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    Rosanna Stevens

    Hi!

    I'm Rosanna, a trained chef, published writer and food fanatic. I believe in using food and drink to make every day an event with fresh and seasonal produce, wine pairings and a perfectly styled plate.

    I write for publications in the UK, USA and Central America on food, travel and the destinations I love and have also created several recipe ebooks and Stop The Scroll, a beginner's guide to food styling and photography. Thanks for being here!

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