Authentic Pasta Fagioli with Pancetta Recipe (Pasta and Bean Soup)

This Authentic Pasta Fagioli with Pancetta Recipe, a pasta and bean soup, is like slipping into your favorite sweater on a crisp morning, every spoonful is so comforting, carefully crafted and meant to be shared.  Inspired by fresh finds from the Mill City Farmers Market, our rendition features hearty dried beans, al dente pasta and savory pancetta -- perfectly portioned for two.

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Pasta e Faglioli (pronounced paa·stuheefaa·jow·lee) is an Italian white bean and pasta soup, but the lead role is played by the beans, rather than the pasta.

This soup is seemingly very straightforward but does require a bit of cooking time – with little involvement from you.  Either canned or dried beans can be used, but I opt for any dried soft skinned heirloom bean I can find at the Bean Market at the Mill City Farmers Market (like Cranberry or Cannellini beans).

Using dried beans?  You will need to soak them overnight (the day before you want to make this soup).   

Starting with a base of pancetta, finely chopped vegetables, plenty of garlic, and a can of crushed tomatoes, we built a rich and flavorful broth as a backdrop for our soup. To thicken it, puree a portion of the beans. For ease, rather than boiling the pasta in a separate pot, let’s add the little ditalini right into the simmering soup to cook in the last moments before serving.

Some grated Parmesan cheese for extra richness and seasoning and a big handful of fresh basil for a blast of fragrant freshness was all that was needed to finish the dish.

What you'll need

From type of bean to shape of pasta—and even whether it contains meat—the iterations of this Italian American pasta-and-bean soup are endless. Here’s a list of ingredients you can use as a jumping off point to make a hearty Pasta e Fagioli soup base with whatever vegetables, pasta and soft skinned beans you have on hand.

• Beans:  Either canned or dried beans can be used, but I opt for any dried white bean I can find at the Bean Market at the Mill City Farmers Market.  Try: cranberry, pinto, adzuki, cannellini, navy. These delicate guys are best for soups, purées, and other applications that don’t hinge on having totally intact beans. Their thinner skins mean they tend to burst and release starchiness into their cooking liquid.
• Pasta:  We are going to use a miniature pasta such as ditalini, small shells or elbow pasta.  I find the smaller shape allows the beans to be the star of the soup.
• Fresh Vegetables:  I opt to use a mix of carrots, chopped onion and leeks.  You could swap out the leeks for celery or even skip.  At a minimum add carrots and onions as they “sweat” out flavor when slowly cooked creating a delicious soup base. 
• Canned Crushed Tomatoes:  Preferably San Marzano.   What makes this variety so special? First, it's the San Marzano variety of tomato, famous for its rich flavor, tender texture, and mild acidity. What's more, they're actually grown in Italy – bringing authenticity to this stew recipe. 
• Fats:  Olive oil
• Garlic – Please use the fresh stuff!
• Dried Spices:  Dried red pepper flakes, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• Liquids:  dry red wine, preferably from Italy.  And chicken broth or, to keep it vegetarian use a vegetable broth, preferably homemade.  Try making my small batch homemade stock.
• Acids:  Balsamic vinegar
• Pancetta (optional).  In the winter months I like to add pancetta or prosciutto to the soup base.  Skipping the pancetta is no problem.
• Garnishes:  Italian Parmesan Cheese and fresh basil

See recipe card for quantities.

Authentic Pasta Fagioli with Pancetta Instructions

This hearty Italian comfort food is seemingly straightforward but does require a bit of cooking time, especially if you are using your own homemade stock and dried beans instead of canned.    But it’s delicious and there is not much involvement from you.

Here is an overview of the steps and timing involved.

1. Soak the beans the night before in the refrigerator.
2. Make your own chicken stock (optional).  You can skip this step if you are short on time and ingredients in which case use a purchased chicken stock.  When the stock is finished, I simply pull out the chicken and let it cool.  Once the chicken from the stock is cool enough to handle, shred the meat from the bones using your hands and reserve for another use, like this chicken and broccoli baked pasta.  Tip:  The breast meat is best when diced with a knife to make equal 1-inch pieces.
3. Simmer Beans until tender.

4. Make the soup base:  Pancetta, finely chopped vegetables, plenty of garlic, and a can of crushed tomatoes, builds a rich and flavorful broth as a backdrop for our soup.

5. Add Finishing Touches. Boil pasta right in the simmering soup to cook in the last moments before serving.  Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese, a swirl of balsamic vinegar and a big handful of fresh basil.

How to soak and cook dried beans

The day before you plan to make the soup, soak those dried beans. Okay, Okay, you don’t have to, but it will reduce your day-of cook time in a real way. 

Cover them with several inches of cold water and refrigerate overnight. (Otherwise, they may start to sprout or ferment if your kitchen is too warm.)

The next day, drain, rinse, drain again. Transfer your beans to a heavy pot with cold water. 

Bring them to a gentle simmer, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface.

The beans are cooked when they are very tender and the skin peels away when touched with a fork tine or you blow on the bean.

Pro Tip:  Aggressive boiling might cook them a bit faster, but they’ll be more likely to break apart. 

Building an authentic pasta fagioli with pancetta soup base

Heat the oil in a 3 quart stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pancetta, carrots, leeks and onion and sauté over medium to medium-high heat, until browned. We want these vegetables to “sweat” out flavor to create a delicious base.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until fragrant, about one minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, wine, chicken stock, salt, and black pepper and turn off the heat.

When quite soft, the beans are removed from the heat and drained.  Then, instead of using flour (an absolute no-no when making an authentic pasta and bean stew), reserve a portion of the cooked beans to puree using an immersion blender (one of my favorite kitchen tools)- this is what we will use as our thickener. 

Add the beans, both pureed and whole, to the soup.

Finishing touches

For ease, rather than boiling the pasta in a separate pot, we added the small shaped pasta, ditalini right into the simmering soup to cook in the last moments before serving. Some grated Parmesan cheese for extra richness and seasoning and a big handful of fresh basil for a blast of fragrant freshness was all that was needed to finish the dish.

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What to serve with Authentic Pasta e Fagioli

Buying bulk dried beans

Where to buy dry beans?  You’re most likely not going to see multihued dried beauties at the grocery store, which is why you should consider seeking out your local farmer’s market and finding a bean vendor.  Or you can try your food coop or online.

There’s a whole world of visually stunning, richly flavored dried beans.  

Determining if beans are bad is rather difficult. After all, you can’t tell how old a bag of beans is by smelling it!  Dried beans don’t go “bad,” but the older they are, the longer they take to get tender—and ancient ones sometimes won’t get tender at all. So buy in small quantities, rotate your stock, and toss anything that is dusty!

Freezing dried beans

You can cook your dry beans ahead of time and freeze them for later use, just as you would use canned beans. Freeze cooked beans in freezer containers in 1 cup and 2 cup amounts, thawing in the refrigerator before use.

Storage and Reheating Pasta and Bean Soup

Leftover pasta e fagioli will keep in the fridge for up to 5 day or in the freezer for up to 3 months when stored in an airtight freezer container.  Don’t forget to label and date the container, I am always amazed how I often forget what is in a container and that it was over 3 months since it was frozen.

To reheat, remove the soup from the freezer and let it defrost overnight in the refrigerator.  Then, put the soup in the microwave for a few minutes on medium power or in a saucepan over medium heat on the stovetop.  The key is to gently reheat the soup. 

You may need to add some more broth to thin the consistency of the soup.  I recommend adding about 2 Tablespoons of water or broth at a time, adding additional broth until you reach desired consistency.

Leftover Ingredient Tips

After making this Pasta e Fagioli, you may find yourself staring at an almost full box of small pasta.  So, what do we make before it gets pushed to the back of the pantry?   What about the poached chicken if you made your own chicken stock? My recommendation - make this quick and Easy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Casserole.  Using your leftover chicken breast and pasta in one dish - perfect for a weeknight dinner for two.

Common questions about this Authentic Pasta Fagioli with Pancetta Recipe

You've got questions... I've got answers! If you have a question about this recipe that isn't answered below, feel free to leave it in the comments, and I'll jump in there to help you out.

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