Description
Rich Italian pasta e fagioli soup blends hearty beans and pasta in a comforting broth. Generations of home cooks have perfected this classic peasant dish that warms souls and satisfies hunger.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup ditalini pasta
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (14.5 oz / 411 g) diced tomatoes with juice
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley or basil, chopped, for garnish
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Create Aromatic Base: Sauté finely chopped onions, carrots, and celery in olive oil over medium heat until vegetables become translucent, releasing their delicate flavors and creating a rich foundational layer.
- Enhance Flavor Profile: Add minced garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, rosemary, and red pepper flakes, stirring thoroughly to develop a robust and complex taste matrix.
- Liquid Integration: Pour chicken or vegetable broth into the pot, incorporating cannellini and kidney beans, then bring the mixture to a vigorous boil before reducing heat to a gentle simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Pasta Infusion: Add ditalini pasta directly into the simmering soup, allowing it to cook until perfectly al dente while absorbing the surrounding aromatic liquid and melding with other ingredients.
- Final Refinement: Adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper, ensuring a balanced flavor profile and ideal consistency. Serve hot in warm bowls, garnishing with freshly chopped parsley or basil and a generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese for an elegant finish.
Notes
- Optimize Vegetable Sautéing: Chop vegetables uniformly to ensure even cooking and consistent flavor distribution throughout the soup.
- Control Garlic Intensity: Brief sautéing prevents garlic from burning and turning bitter, maintaining a delicate aromatic profile.
- Manage Pasta Texture: Add pasta towards the end of cooking to prevent overcooking and maintain an ideal al dente consistency, avoiding mushy pasta.
- Customize Dietary Needs: Easily adapt the recipe by using gluten-free pasta, vegetable broth for vegetarian version, or reducing sodium for low-salt diets.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg