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Vegetarian pasta fagioli in a white bowl with a spoon and topped with parmesan and parsley.
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Vegetarian Pasta Fagioli

This easy one-pot Vegetarian Pasta Fagioli is a hearty Italian soup filled with pasta, white beans, tomatoes, veggies, broth, and herbs. Ready in under an hour, it's a great meatless meal for any day of the week!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Resting Time15 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Servings: 4
Estimated Calories: 408
Author: Michelle

Ingredients

For The Soup

  • 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup diced onion, about ¼-inch pieces
  • ½ cup diced carrots, about ¼-inch pieces
  • ½ cup diced celery, about ¼-inch pieces
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups vegetable broth or stock, I use seasoned vegetable based mixed with water; use your favorite broth or stock
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, do not drain (or regular diced tomatoes)
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, I use my Homemade Italian Seasoning
  • 2 (15.5-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 4 ounces dry ditalini pasta, about 1 cup
  • salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste

Optional Toppings

  • freshly-grated parmesan cheese
  • chopped fresh parsley or basil

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat (I use a 5-quart pot). Add the onions, carrots and celery; season lightly with salt and pepper (I use ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper). Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Add the garlic; sauté, stirring frequently, for one minute.
  • Add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and Italian seasoning; stir to combine. Increase the heat and bring to a boil (this will take about 10 minutes).
  • Add the beans and ditalini; stir to combine. Reduce the heat slightly and cook at a gentle boil, uncovered and stirring occasionally, just until the ditalini is al dente (use the package directions as a guide for the time, as this can vary by brand; the one I used took 8 minutes). The soup will be slightly thicker at this point.
  • Turn off the heat and let the soup sit for 15 minutes. During this time, the pasta will soak up some more of the broth, thickening the soup a bit more without overcooking the pasta. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
  • Serve immediately. If desired, top each serving with freshly-grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley or basil.

Recipe Notes

  • A reduced-sodium broth or stock will give you more control of the salt in the recipe. 
  • You can use 3½ cups of home-cooked beans instead of canned beans.
  • For extra savory flavor, add the rind from a small wedge of parmesan cheese when you add the broth and tomatoes; remove before serving.
  • If you prefer a more brothy soup with a thinner consistency, you can either skip the resting step, use more broth, or cook and drain the pasta separately and then add some to each bowl of soup when serving.
    • If cooking the pasta separately, you'll still want to simmer the soup for about 8 to 10 minute in order to finish cooking the veggies and to allow the flavors to blend. You can omit the step of letting it sit for 15 minutes before serving.
  • Estimated calories shown are for the soup only and don't include any toppings, such as parmesan cheese.
 
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