Mom's Best Recipes
Recipe

Earthy Pasta Fagioli Recipe

A savory, satisfying bowl of beans, pasta, and herbs with a rich tomato broth and a bright, Parmesan-peppery finish. Cozy enough for Sunday, easy enough for Tuesday.

Author By Matt Campbell
4.8
A steaming bowl of pasta fagioli with small pasta, cannellini beans, and a sprinkle of Parmesan on a rustic wooden table
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Pasta fagioli is one of those magic recipes that feels like it took all day, even when it absolutely did not. You get creamy beans, tender pasta, and a tomato broth that tastes deep and earthy in a very specific way: savory, tomato-rich, and herby, with rosemary and thyme doing that cozy, woodsy thing. This version leans into all of it, with a sneaky hit of umami from Parmesan rind or a little miso, depending on what you have.

It is a pantry dinner with real comfort energy. Everything is accessible, nothing is fussy, and the only rule is this: taste as you go. That is how you end up with a bowl that makes you pause mid-bite and think, okay, wow.

A pot of pasta fagioli simmering on the stove with visible beans and pasta in a tomato broth

Why It Works

  • Earthy, savory flavor from rosemary, thyme, tomato paste, and a Parmesan finish.
  • Creamy texture without cream by mashing some beans right into the broth.
  • Weeknight friendly with mostly pantry ingredients and one pot.
  • Not mushy when served day-of because the pasta is cooked just until al dente. Leftovers thicken, but they are easy to bring back with a splash of broth.

Pairs Well With

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Storage Tips

How to Store Leftovers

Pasta fagioli is famous for thickening up overnight. It is not a problem, it is just the pasta doing what pasta does.

Food safety note: Cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours.

Refrigerator

  • Cool, then store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
  • If you can, store pasta and soup separately. If they are already mixed, no worries.

Freezer

  • For best texture, freeze the bean and tomato broth without pasta for up to 3 months, then cook fresh pasta when reheating.
  • If freezing with pasta, expect softer noodles after thawing. Still tasty, just more stew-like.

Reheating

  • Warm gently on the stove over medium-low, adding a splash of broth or water until it is soup again.
  • Finish with a little olive oil, black pepper, and Parmesan to wake everything up.

Common Questions

FAQ

What makes this pasta fagioli taste “earthy”?

It is the combo of woodsy herbs (rosemary and thyme), tomato paste, and that savory finish from Parmesan. Mashing some beans into the broth also gives it a deeper, rustic feel.

Can I use dried beans instead of canned?

Yes. Cook about 1 cup dried cannellini or great northern beans until tender (that is typically about 3 cups cooked, which lines up closely with two 15-ounce cans drained). Use some of that bean cooking liquid in place of broth for extra flavor.

What pasta shape is best?

Small shapes are the classic move: ditalini, small shells, tubettini, or elbow. They hold broth, they cook fast, and they make every bite feel complete.

How do I keep the pasta from getting mushy?

Cook it just until al dente and consider cooking it separately if you know you want leftovers. If cooking in the pot, add a little extra broth at the end and do not over-simmer. (Even with perfect timing, pasta will soften as it sits. It is easily revived with more broth.)

Is pasta fagioli supposed to be soup or stew?

Both, depending on the day. Serve it brothy right after cooking, and it will thicken into a cozy stew by tomorrow. Add broth to bring it back to soup mode.

Can I make it vegetarian or vegan?

Absolutely. Use vegetable broth, skip the Parmesan rind, and finish with nutritional yeast or a small spoon of white miso for savory depth.

Can I add meat?

Yes. Brown 8 ounces Italian sausage (or chopped pancetta) in the pot first, then spoon off excess fat and build the soffritto right on top of those drippings. Everything else stays the same.

This is the kind of pot of soup I make when I want something that tastes like I tried harder than I did. I started cooking pasta fagioli when I was chasing practical kitchen skills, not perfect ones. The first time, I overcooked the pasta and the whole thing turned into a brick by the next day.

Now I treat it like a choose-your-own-adventure: keep it brothy for dinner, let it thicken overnight for lunch, then loosen it up with a splash of stock and a big squeeze of lemon. The “earthy” version happened by accident when I added rosemary and a Parmesan rind and suddenly it tasted like the coziest corner of my kitchen. Slight chaos, big reward.