Pasta and Bean Soup (Pasta e Fagioli)
A thick, soul-warming Italian soup of creamy borlotti beans and small pasta, built on a slow-cooked bean broth and a golden vegetable soffritto. The kind of dish that tastes even better the day after.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Soak the beans
The night before, put the dried in a large bowl and cover generously with cold water. Leave to soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours or overnight, then drain and rinse.
- 300 g dried
✅ Done when: the beans have doubled in size and feel plump, not hard
Cook the beans low and slow
Put the drained beans in a large pot with 2 whole garlic cloves, the rosemary sprig, the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind if using. Cover with the water and bring to a gentle simmer, uncovered, skimming off any foam. Cook on low heat for 60–90 minutes without adding salt yet, since salt added too early can toughen the skins.
- 300 g soaked beans
- 2 cloves garlic, left whole
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 piece Parmesan rind
- 1.5 litres water
✅ Done when: a bean mashes easily between two fingers and the broth looks slightly thickened
Build the soffritto
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Blend part of the beans
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Combine and simmer
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Cook the pasta in the soup
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Rest and serve
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Soak the beans
The night before, put the dried in a large bowl and cover generously with cold water. Leave to soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours or overnight, then drain and rinse.
- 300 g dried
✅ Done when: the beans have doubled in size and feel plump, not hard
Cook the beans low and slow
Put the drained beans in a large pot with 2 whole garlic cloves, the rosemary sprig, the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind if using. Cover with the water and bring to a gentle simmer, uncovered, skimming off any foam. Cook on low heat for 60–90 minutes without adding salt yet, since salt added too early can toughen the skins.
- 300 g soaked beans
- 2 cloves garlic, left whole
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 piece Parmesan rind
- 1.5 litres water
✅ Done when: a bean mashes easily between two fingers and the broth looks slightly thickened
Build the soffritto
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Blend part of the beans
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Combine and simmer
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Cook the pasta in the soup
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Rest and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Pasta e fagioli is a classic of cucina povera, the resourceful peasant cooking that turned humble, cheap ingredients into something deeply satisfying. Beans provided protein when meat was scarce, and leftover scraps of pasta, broken into odd shapes, filled out the pot so nothing went to waste.
Every region claims its own version: Veneto's is thick enough to eat with a fork and often includes pancetta, while Neapolitan versions lean on a lighter tomato broth. What unites them all is the technique of blending some of the beans into the broth, which thickens the soup naturally.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It is the ultimate Italian comfort food: hearty, inexpensive and deeply flavorful, built from pantry staples that transform into something far greater than their parts.
💡 Fun Fact
In many Italian homes it's considered better the next day, once it has rested and thickened further, sometimes described as 'al dente di forchetta', thick enough to stand a fork in.
Italy, especially Veneto, Tuscany, Naples and the central regions
45.44°N, 12.32°E
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