Full of vegetables and hearty flavors from bacon and sausage, this soup is perfect for dinner. Serve with some crusty bread and a big salad!
Yesterday I told another man, not my husband, that I was in love with him. I told him in front of his wife. She laughed her head off. You see, this man was the husband of one of our patients. He had brought a platter of the most incredible cookies I have ever tasted for the staff on our floor. The cookies were so phenomenal that I went into the patient’s room (not my patient, by the way) to ask where they had gotten the cookies. The patient started giggling despite the obvious fact that she was in pain from her surgery and pointed to her husband, “He made them.”
“Oh my gosh! You made these?” I said. Then that’s when I told him that I was in love with him. He promised to share the recipe, so as soon as I get it I will share it here. (Update: Here is the recipe for Almond Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies with Raspberry Jam.)
Obviously, the picture above is not a cookie. Obviously it is a bowl of soup. My husband, the man I really love, said that Pasta e Fagioli is his second favorite soup. His first favorite soup is Zuppa Toscana.
What is in pasta e fagioli?
In case you are wondering what “fagioli” means in Italian, it is “beans”. The name of the soup, then, means “pasta and beans”. I think that you will agree, pasta and beans doesn’t sound very appetizing, but the name doesn’t really tell the right story. This soup is big on flavor. Look at this list of great ingredients.
Bacon and sausage. I chose to use both of these meats in this recipe. Regular breakfast bacon is great, or if you prefer, you can use pancetta. Italian sausage is best and you can use either mild or spicy, whichever suits you best.
Onions and garlic. These two are great flavor boosters. I think that if you say “Italian food”, most folks go straight to garlic in their minds.
Carrots and celery. Together with the onions, carrots and celery make a “soffrito”. In French it is called “mirepoix”. But this soup is Italian, so we are sticking with soffrito.
Crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. The addition of tomato products is flexible. The preparation is up to you – crushed, diced, whole tomatoes that you break up yourself, sauce or paste – you choose. Keep the quantity the same as stated in the recipe and you will be fine.
Beans. Canellini beans are traditional, but the soup also works with small white beans or navy beans.
Pasta. The pasta shape in this soup is supposed to be small. Typically, the pasta shape is known as ditalini, a small, short tube-shaped pasta. I used a salad pasta, which is shaped very much like ditalini. Small shell-shaped pasta will also work. The idea is keep the pasta small and simple, but don’t go with spaghetti or fettuccine.
Fresh herbs. Think “Italian” for the herbs and you won’t go wrong. I used fresh herbs – parsley, basil and oregano. Certainly you can use dried herbs instead of fresh. I give amounts for each in the recipe. Rosemary would also be a nice addition, but don’t go too crazy with it because it can be overpowering.
Spinach. This is optional, but I like the pop of color it brings. If you want to use a different green, such as kale, go for it. Fresh or frozen works fine. If using frozen, there is no need to defrost it first. Simply toss it in frozen; it will defrost easily in the soup.
Salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and granulated onion. Salt and pepper are standard in many recipes. Use them at your own discretion. Despite the fact that this recipe calls for fresh onions and garlic, I also used granulated onion and garlic. I like to add them to most of my recipes that have fresh onion and garlic. I think they have a richer flavor than their fresh counterparts; it’s not just “more of the same”. They are not absolutely necessary, but give them a try.
Pasta e Fagioli Soup
Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon, diced
- 1 onion, medium diced
- 2-3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage (I used mild)
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 (28 ounce) can roasted, crushed tomatoes
- 2 (14 ounce) cans canellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (10 ounce – weight) box frozen, chopped spinach
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dry parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves or 2 teaspoons dry crushed basil
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup (approximately 5 ounces weight) salad pasta or small shells
Instructions
- Heat a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until bacon is lightly browned and fat has been rendered.
- Lower heat to medium. Add onions and garlic to bacon. Stir and cook for approximately one minute.
- Add the ground Italian sausage. Stir all together and cook until onions are translucent and sausage is no longer pink.
- Stir in the chicken broth, water, crushed tomatoes, beans, spinach (does not have to be thawed), oregano, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. (Do not add fresh herbs, if using, at this time.) Raise heat and bring soup to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, put the lid on the pot and lower the heat enough to keep the soup at a simmer for about thirty minutes.
- Stir in the fresh parsley, fresh basil, and the pasta. Bring soup back to a boil and cook until pasta is al dente. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh grated parmesan cheese, if desired.
You may also like:
Baked Spaghetti
Zuppa Toscana
One-Skillet Italian Sausage Pasta
This looks SO good! We will be making this very soon!!
JCC–Thanks for dropping by. This really is a great soup, comforting and filling.