Easy Pasta Fagioli
Looking for a hearty, healthy weeknight meal that’s ready in about 30 minutes? This Easy Pasta Fagioli is perfect!
It falls between a soup and a pasta dish but it’s definitely not “just” a vegetable soup and it’s not your typical heavy, starchy pasta meal, either. We love this because it comes together easily and quickly (even faster if you use frozen, pre-cut veggies).
The soup itself can be made ahead and prepped so all you have to do is cook the pasta when you’re ready but it comes together quickly anyway 🙂 This recipe calls for pasta and the soup to be cooked separately so it’s not *quite* “one pot” but it’s close!
We prepare this with a mixture of carrot, celery and onion then add zucchini and a little bell pepper. While I recommend keeping the first three, you could add your family’s favorite veggie(s) if you prefer. You can top with shredded or grated Italian cheeses or leave as is (we often do because it’s delicious as is)!
This can be a great meal on its own or you could serve with a salad and some bread for a full, but lighter Italian night at home 🙂
Easy Pasta Fagioli
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/2 cup carrot, peeled and chopped small
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup zucchini, cut into thin quarters
- 1/3 cup bell pepper, chopped
- 4 cups water
- 15 ounces canned dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 24 ounces marinara pasta sauce (classic or tomato/herb)
- 1 cup dry small pasta (such as ditalini)
Instructions
- Heat 2 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the 2 whole garlic cloves and cook until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add all vegetables to the pot (carrot, celery, onion, zucchini and bell pepper) and cook, stirring often, 5-7 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Meanwhile in a separate pot, cook pasta al dente, according to package directions (this will likely overlap the next few steps).
- Stir in the drained and rinsed kidney beans and heat through, about 2 minutes. Remove garlic cloves from mixture and discard.
- Stir in the marinara pasta sauce + 4 cups water to the soup pot. Turn heat to medium-high and bring soup to a boil, stirring 1-2 times to prevent sticking.
- Reduce heat to low and let soup simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- To serve, divide soup into bowls and top with desired amount of cooked pasta and salt/pepper to taste.
Notes
- Try adding your favorite veggies in place of the zucchini and pepper. I recommend keeping the carrot, celery, onion base and having no more than 2.5 cups of veggies total.
- Frozen veggies work just as well and save time on prep!
- Prefer a richer soup? Add in veggie stock for the water and serve topped with grated cheese.
Nutrition
I was sent this Classico Organic Marinara to try–it’s flavorful and not too sweet. I definitely recommend!
This Easy Pasta Fagioli recipe makes 8 cups of soup so it would have 4 full bowls. We usually have leftovers and will store the soup and pasta separately in the fridge until we want to finish them. This recipe can easily be doubled in a larger pot to feed a family 🙂 and of course, it’s vegetarian but could be made with chicken stock, added crumbled cooked ground beef or topped with crispy bacon–totally customizable!
Enjoy your Friday, folks! I’ll be enjoying the sunshine and some more Citrus Poppyseed Loaf cake (coming soon!)
xo, Emma