Classic White Bean Pasta e Fagioli, (pah-sta eh fazh-e-ohl-eh), a humble dish of pasta and beans. It’s a traditional Italian soup with many variations, but its simplicity and affordability are a deception to the rich flavor it contains. Like so many other Italian dishes Pasta e Fagioli started as a peasant dish, comprised of inexpensive ingredients. It’s comfort food that aligns itself with the ingredients you have on hand. Our must-have is sweet sausage with fennel and extra fennel seeds (we love fennel) it creates killer flavor!

But we have to start with a great soffritto (Italian Mirepoix), don’t worry it won’t take long and you’ll have a new flavor machine to add to your arsenal.
- Also known as the “Holy Trinity” soffritto is a (not so secret) “secret ingredient” that’s created from three humble elements. It’s the first step to developing a mass impact of flavor from vegetables you probably have in your kitchen now. A mix of aromatic veg that we cook down slowly (sweating) until they’re soft and just shy of being browned.
- Based on the Italian verb soffriggere, which means “to stir fry” or “saute,” soffritto is probably considered more of a cooking technique, rather than a dish in itself.
- Onions, carrots, and celery diced small and cooked over medium-low heat, lose a considerable amount of liquid and volume as they sweat down adding infinite flavor and richness to the base of soups, stews, and sauces.

How to Make the Perfect Soffritto
Roughly dice a proportionately similar amount of onions, carrots, and celery. Warm a heavy-bottomed Dutch Oven over medium-low heat (we don’t want to brown the soffritto) toss in a knob of butter 1-2 Tablespoons or a healthy splash of extra virgin olive oil, begin to melt it down and then toss in the onions, carrots, and celery.
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Chef’s Tip: I may get reamed by pros for cooking our soffritto all at once, usually you’ll start with just the onions and cook them down until translucent and aromatic. At that point, you add the carrots and celery and cook everything down slowly, for anywhere from 30-60 minutes.
So if you have the time and want to prepare your soffritto like my Nonna did, then do it this way! 🙂 But if your family is hungry and you just want to sit down to eat then toss all those veggies in at once and begin sweating them down. You’ll still knock the flavor out of the park, I promise.

What else can I use soffritto for?
Here’s the beauty, soffritto stores like a charm in the fridge up to a week in the fat (butter or EVOO) you cook it in. Add a pop of umami flavor to brighten your favorite dishes, the caramelization brings amazing richness and your family won’t be able to pin down the exact flavor of vegetables but will appreciate the flavor it introduces to meals.
- scrambled eggs
- quiches
- frittatas
- pasta
- grilled fish
- sauces
- risotto
I think you’ve had a taste of what soffritto can do for your dishes, so we’ll get to making the soup.

What Pasta Can I Use for Making Pasta E Fagioli?
Typically you’ll see ditalini pasta listed in a recipe, but any small cut pasta is perfectly fine. Here we used an organic egg yolk pasta, frankly, I don’t even think you need pasta in this soup. Yes, I said it, but in sticking with tradition I did add some to each bowl at the end for serving. Don’t be tempted to cook the pasta in the soup, unless you want a thick and gummy outcome! Cook them separately and save yourself the heartache of a ruined soup.
Cooking Time Will Vary
Please Note: Cooking time will vary if you are using soaked beans vs. canned. We soaked the beans overnight (no salt), dumped the soak water and rinsed the beans and then added in step 4. If using canned beans be sure to rinse them as well to remove the extra starchy water.
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How to Make Pasta e Fagioli (Better Than Olive Garden)
Classic White Bean Pasta e Fagioli, (pah-sta eh fazh-e-ohl-eh), a humble dish of pasta and beans. It's a traditional Italian soup with many variations, but its simplicity and affordability are a deception to the rich flavor it contains.
- 1 large white onion, topped + peeled + chopped
- 4 large carrots, scrubbed + peeled (if not organic) + diced
- 4 stalks celery, scrubbed + diced
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, sub butter
- Kosher sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed + chopped
- ½ Tablespoon oregano leaves, dried
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, or to taste
- 1 Tablespoon basil, dried
- ¾ teaspoon thyme, ground
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1 pound Italian Sausage, hot or sweet, casings removed
- 1 can (28 ounces) San Marzano tomatoes, hand crushed
- 6 cups (48 ounces) homemade chicken stock, sub favorite brand
- 3½ cups Cannellini or Navy beans soaked overnight, sub canned + rinsed
- 1 Parmesan cheese rind, optional but preferred
- 2 large bay leaves
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Blitz the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in a food processor in separate batches. Making sure they are as close to a ½-inch dice as possible. Heat a Dutch Oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium low heat, add the olive oil reheat for 30 seconds and then add the onions, carrots and celery and season generously with Kosher sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Cook stirring often with a flat bottomed wooden spoon, until the vegetables start to sweat out some of their liquid about 10 minutes. Keep in mind low and slow, we don't want color, we just want to soften the soffritto.
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Toss in the garlic, oregano, fennel seeds, basil, thyme, and red pepper flakes stir to combine, cover the pot and cook, stirring every 5 minutes (total of 20 minutes), until the vegetables are soft and savory. Reduce the heat if you notice the vegetables start to brown.
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Turn up the heat to medium and add the sausage, breaking apart into bite sized pieces, and cook for 5 minutes.
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Now pour in the tomatoes, chicken stock, beans, and bring to a medium boil (not super aggressive) gently stirring and add Parmesan cheese rind and bay leaves. Reduce the heat back to medium-low for a gentle simmer. Cover the pot so the lid is slightly cracked and cook until the beans are very tender. Anywhere from 1-3 hours depending on if you used soaked or canned beans. Remove the Parmesan cheese rind after cooking is complete.
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While the soup cooks, bring a pot of heavily salted (Kosher sea salt) water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta till al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Don't be tempted to cook the pasta in the soup, unless you want a thick and gummy outcome! Cook them separately and save yourself the heartache of a ruined soup.
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Divide pasta among bowls and top with soup, garnish with fresh grated Grana Padano, a drizzle of olive oil, fresh basil and Herbed Crackers or crusty bread for dipping if desired.
- Prep time is approximate a food processor makes fine dicing vegetables much faster!
- Cook pasta separately each time you serve, if you have leftovers store the pasta in an airtight container tossed with a little olive oil.
- Store leftover soup in the fridge up to 1 week.
- Freeze leftovers (without pasta) in an airtight container up to 6 months.
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62 comments
This recipe looks absolutely delicious! I love all of the fresh ingredients you use! I will definitely be giving it a try.
Great, thanks so much, Morgan!
I really enjoyed reading all about how to make a soffritto, not to mention the recipe proper. Great tip about cooking the pasta separately, too. And such a gorgeous recipe – can’t wait to make it!
Thanks so much, Beth! So glad that our info is helpful and enjoyable to read, be sure to update on your results! 🙂
This looks incredible! My fam will love this so much!
I hope you and your dear family love it, Kendra!! 🙂
This soup looks so amazing. I like to eat soup year around, so for sure I have this on my list of things to make soon!
Thanks so much, we’re year-round soup people too Erika!!
Great recipe! I make my soffritto just like you do..I use it in almost all of my soups and love it in omelets..I will be trying this recipe very soon!!
Agreed I love soffritto in an omelet and made them this past weekend, adds so much flavor. Thanks for visiting, Holly! 🙂
Another delicious that we can try making at home. I’m a big fan of beans and this is perfect not only for winter but for family gatherings. I like the fact that you spell out the Italian pronunciation for us 🙂
Lol, Jane, sometimes phonetics can be helpful! This would be a great pot of soup for a family get together, thanks so much for checking it out! 🙌
Another great recipe shared by the Mean Green Chef! Love it!
Thanks so much, Joanne! 🙂
This looks delicious! Sometimes the best food requires the simplest ingredients. I will be making this!
I agree Cynthia simple ingredients make the best dishes! Thanks so much and be sure to share your results 🙂
Fabulous recipe!
Thanks, Jennifer! 🙂
Looks delicious!
Thanks, Amber! 🙂
Great tips on sofrito!
Glad that they were helpful, Jennifer! 🙂
Oh my gosh. All your recipes look so good and this one is no different! Delish!
Thanks so much, Laura, so glad that you enjoy our recipes! 🙂
Another great recipe!!!! I printed … and gave it to my mom! Told her to please make this for me this week. She said – OKAY!! I’ll let you know!! Looks awesome. I’m Paleo, but, I don’t care. I’m going to eat the noodles!!! Looks so good!!!!!
Lol, I hope that you guys love it, Kymberly! It’s honestly just as good without the noodles so if you don’t want to eat them, I’m sure you’ll love it with just the beans 🙂
This soup looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it but I am particularly excited about the Soffrito! I love that the Soffrito can be made days in advance and used in different recipes. Thanks for explaining the cooking process! Soffrito’s a great way to get those extra veggies at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Soffritto is a great way to add flavor and extra veg in a ton of dishes, Jelane! I used a bunch in omelets this past weekend and it’s so quick and tasty, thanks for stopping by 🙂
Your recipes always look so good! Thank you!
Thanks so much, Robin! 🙂
This looks way fancier that the pasta e fagioli my mom would make when we were sick as kids. Such a comfort food but these pictures sure have elevated it to another level.
Nothing like a bowl of mom’s soup when we’re sick, thanks so much for the compliments on my photography! Much appreciated, Angela 🙂
Looks delicious! Love the pictures too!
Thanks so much, Paloma! Really appreciate the compliments on my photography too 🙂
A meal in a bowl…and a yummy one at that!
Thanks, Suzan! 🙂
It’s dinner time and I’m hungry now. Another great-lookin’ recipe. Thx
Thanks so much, Laura! 🙂
We love italian! Thanks for the new recipe!
You can never go wrong with a great Italian meal, Haley! Thanks so much for stopping by to check out our recipe 🙂
Recipe Pinned and ingredients added to my shopping list (Thanks Alexa). This looks absolutely amazing and will be on my menu for this weekend when I’m having family over.
Ha, thanks so much, Stephanie! really hope you love our soup, please be sure to update us with the results and a pic @meangreenchef 🙂
What a yummy looking soup! I can totally see me using the soffritto in eggs too. Thanks for the tips!
Soffritto is an awesome addition to eggs, Leigh Ann! Thanks so much for visiting 🙂
This recipe looks amazing! I am a big soup maker and lover. Can’t wait to try it!
Me too, Tricia, soup is in the menu nearly every week! Thanks so much 😀
I really don’t fancy myself a food connesuier but I am continually impressed with the amazing dishes you put together. Another gorgeous dish. 🙂
Wow, thank you so much for the wonderful compliments, Jen! They are much appreciated and we are so glad that you’re a part of our kitchen 🙂
I imagine this is way better than Olive Garden. All your recipes are the bomb! Love them!
Thanks so much, Karie! 🙂 It’s better than the OG for sure, not that I’m full of myself but the flavor is amazing. 🙂
As always, this looks amazing!
Thanks so much, Meagan! 🙂
LOVE the soffrito. I HATE cooking and my son went vegan a few months ago so this is something I could make for HIM and we could share it, he could add tofu while I add sausage or chicken. I eat a lot of chicken. Thanks! I never eat enough vegetables so this soffrito is a GREAT way to solve that imbalance.
Soffritto makes a huge difference in so many dishes, it elevates flavor, plus it’s so easy to make! You can also add textured vegetable protein, which has a different texture than tofu but will still stay in line with your son’s diet. Thanks so much for visiting, Marisa 🙂
Yum! This recipe would really hit the spot on a cool, windy day like today.
It is a perfect cool, windy day kinda soup Tonya!
Your ability to make my stomach growl is unparalleled. This looks like a keeper, too. Thank you!
Lol, thanks so much, Karla! I love making stomachs growl! 😋
Mmmm this looks good! Can’t wait to try it. I’ll just leave out the sausage and cheese.
Thanks so much, Cindy! It will still taste amazing without the sausage and cheese thanks to the soffritto.
Such a delicious sounding and yummy looking dish!!
Thank you, Annette, much appreciated! 🙂