PASTA fa*gIOLI RECIPE (2024)

Pasta fa*gioli full of vegetables, beans, pasta, and prosciutto! Hearty, flavorful Italian soup recipe that’s perfect for dinner!

This has been a tried and true favorite for so many years and has gone through constant revisions to make it absolutely perfect. But this recipe that I’m sharing is fantastic and once you try it, you’ll see (or taste) for yourself. The best part? Once you know how to make Pasta fa*gioli like Olive Garden you’ll never have to leave the house again. Impress your guests with a home cooked Italian dinner and do it at a fraction of the cost. Now if only your kitchen could come with endless breadsticks and salad everything would be perfect.

What is Pasta fa*gioli?

Pasta fa*gioli is an Italian soup that mainly consists of pasta and beans. Pasta e fa*gioli actually translates to “pasta and beans.” This dish can be prepared in many different ways but a lot of key ingredients always remain the same. This dish is often referred to as a “peasant’s dish” just because it’s typically made with cheaper ingredients. So you’re getting an affordable meal that tastes great and is very filling.

Pasta e fa*gioli Ingredients

-Olive oil: We need 1 tablespoon of olive oil to help us saute everything together in the pot without sticking.

-Prosciutto: Using half a pound of prosciutto we can get meat added to the soup and it adds a depth of flavor too.

-Onion: We need 1 small diced onion or half of a medium sized onion.

-Shallot: Similar to onion but smaller and sweeter are its cousins- the shallots. We want one small or medium sized shallot (finely diced) to go in this soup too.

-Spices: To help bring some Italian flavors into the dish we need 1 tablespoon each of dried oregano, dried basil, and dried parsley (or you can use 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley instead of dried).

-Canned tomatoes: We need a small 15.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes and a large 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes to help give us the tomato-base for the soup.

-Canned beans: Using 15 ounce cans of red kidney beans and white kidney beans we get the much-needed beans part of the soup.

-Chicken broth: Adding a flavorful broth and thinning down the soup nicely is 4 cups of chicken broth. This is one 32 ounce container.

-Pasta: We need a pound of Ditalini pasta for the pasta part of the soup. These are very small tube-like pasta you can find in the grocery store with the other varieties.

-Garnishes: You can use fresh parsley, or Parmesan cheese (shredded or grated) as garnishes for every bowl, if desired.

How to Make Pasta fa*gioli

Dice your prosciutto into small dice-sized pieces.

In a pot over medium heat, saute the olive oil and prosciutto until crispy.

Remove a small amount of the prosciutto using tongs and set aside for garnish later. Keep the remaining prosciutto in the pan.

Next, add in the onion and shallots. Saute them until they’re nice and translucent.

Add in the dried basil, oregano, and parsley.

Add in the can of diced tomatoes and stir for a minute. Add in the crushed tomatoes and bring the pot to a low simmer.

Add in the chicken stock and the beans.

Bring the pot to a low simmer and let it simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente (or desired firmness) in another pot.

Drain the pasta and keep it to the side.

Spoon the desired amount of pasta into a bowl and then spoon the soup mixture over the top of the pasta.

Top it off with some grated parmesan cheese, parsley, and the reserved prosciutto bits.Enjoy!

Can you freeze Pasta fa*gioli soup?

Yes, I recommend keeping the pasta and the bean mixture separate if you plan on freezing leftover soup. Simply cool and store the bean mixture in an airtight container in the freezer for a few weeks and reheat when ready. Add freshly cooked pasta and it’ll be fine. If you add the pasta and then try to freeze it, you’ll notice the pasta becomes soggy, gummy, and throws off the texture in the soup so use fresh pasta for the reheating and find a different way to use any leftover cooked pasta so that you can get your monies worth.

What to serve with Pasta fa*gioli?

Like any good Italian inspired meal, this soup would be great with salad, breadsticks, garlic bread, or even just a good hard crusty bread like Artisan style.

More Italian Inspired Recipes to Try

• Grandma’s Italian Cookies
• Cheesy Italian Sausage Calzones
• Homemade Italian Cream Sodas
• Cherry Italian Cream Sodas
• Bacon Alfredo Pizza
• Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches
• Creamy Tomato Soup with Tortellini
• Grilled Italian Chicken Pasta
• Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce
• Zuppa Toscana Potato Sausage Soup
• Pizza Pasta Salad
• Zesty Italian Chicken
• Skinny Alfredo Pasta
• Tomato Basil Soup
• Grilled Italian Sausages with Peppers

Pasta fa*gioli is a one pot meal that’s easy to make and delicious to eat! This is a family favorite that we have been making for over 20 years. I have tweaked it a few times over the years and I think it’s more delicious than ever.

Pasta fa*gioli full of vegetables, beans, pasta, and prosciutto! Hearty, flavorful Italian soup recipe that’s perfect for dinner!