Pasta e Fagioli
Creamy white beans and small pasta in a rosemary-scented tomato broth, thick enough to stand a spoon in. Rustic, savory, and cheap.
heavy pot or Dutch oven, immersion blender or potato masher, wooden spoon
AI estimate — add a USDA key for measured values.
- 01
Warm the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat, then add the onion, carrot, and celery with 1/2 tsp of the salt.
soffrittoVegetables are soft and the onion is translucent and just starting to turn gold at the edges, not browned.
- 02
Add the garlic, rosemary sprig, and red pepper flakes and stir until fragrant.
Garlic smells sweet and nutty, not raw or scorched.
- 03
Stir in the tomato paste and cook it against the bottom of the pot.
Paste darkens from bright red to brick and smells jammy rather than tinny.
- 04
Add the crushed tomatoes and scrape up anything stuck to the bottom.
deglazeThe mixture bubbles and the raw tomato smell softens.
- 05
Add the broth, the Parmesan rind if using, one can of beans with their liquid, and the second can drained. Bring to a gentle boil.
- 06
Blend or mash about a third of the soup, then return it to the pot to thicken the broth.
Broth turns creamy and coats a spoon; a finger dragged across the back leaves a clean line.
- 07
Add the pasta and 1/2 tsp salt, and simmer, stirring often so it doesn't stick.
Pasta is tender with a slight bite and the soup is thick enough to stand a spoon in; add a splash of broth if it tightens too far.
- 08
Fish out the rosemary sprig and rind. Taste and correct with the remaining salt, black pepper, and a squeeze of acid if it tastes flat.
Broth tastes savory and rounded, not sharp or bland.
- 09
Serve in bowls with grated Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.
A slow soffritto and darkened tomato paste build a deep savory base before any liquid goes in, so the broth tastes cooked rather than assembled. Blending a portion of the beans releases their starch and makes the broth creamy and spoon-coating without dairy, while the whole beans keep texture. The rosemary sprig and Parmesan rind infuse the broth quietly and are removed before they turn medicinal or gummy. Cooking the pasta directly in the soup lets it shed starch into the broth, tightening it to that classic stand-a-spoon thickness.
- The soffritto is the flavor base — don't rush it. If it browns too fast, lower the heat; you want soft and sweet, not seared.
- Blending part of the beans is what makes the broth creamy without cream. Skip it and you get a thin, watery soup.
- Pasta keeps drinking liquid as it sits. Cook it right in the pot for one meal, but if making ahead, cook the pasta separately and combine at serving so it doesn't turn to mush.
- If it tastes dull after salting, it wants acid — a small squeeze of lemon or splash of red wine vinegar lifts everything.
- Bean-can liquid (aquafaba) is starchy and seasoned; using one can's worth thickens the broth and adds body.
The bean-and-tomato base holds 3 days refrigerated. Cook the pasta separately and add it when reheating so it stays al dente.
Keeps 3 days in the fridge; it thickens to a stew as the pasta absorbs broth, so loosen with a splash of water or broth when reheating over low heat.