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A thick, hearty, and comforting vegetarian Italian-inspired soup made with cannellini beans, small pasta, and a flavorful tomato-herb broth, perfect for stovetop, Instant Pot, or crockpot preparation.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 cup quartered carrots
  • 2 15-ounce cans cooked cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon dried parsley
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup dry ditalini pasta (or any small pasta)

Instructions

  1. Warm 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
  2. Cook diced onion, minced garlic, and quartered carrots until onions are translucent and veggies soften, about 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in rinsed, drained cannellini beans, tomato sauce, bay leaf, dried basil, dried parsley, dried oregano, black pepper, red pepper flakes, vegetable broth, and water.
  4. Cover the pot, increase heat to high, and bring the soup to a boil, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
  5. Remove the lid and reduce heat to medium.
  6. Add dry ditalini pasta and stir; cook the pasta for about half the time suggested on the package.
  7. Undercook the pasta so it finishes cooking as the soup sits.
  8. Discard the bay leaf before serving.
  9. For Instant Pot: Set Instant Pot to Sauté for 8 minutes and heat olive oil until shimmering.
  10. Sauté onions, garlic, and carrots about 5 minutes until softened.
  11. Rinse and drain beans while veggies cook.
  12. Scrape up any browned bits on the bottom to avoid burn warnings.
  13. Add pasta, beans, seasonings, water, and broth, then pour tomato sauce over without stirring.
  14. Seal Instant Pot and cook on High Pressure for 2 minutes.
  15. Quick release, remove bay leaf, and stir.
  16. Optionally cook pasta separately to avoid mushy pasta and add after pressure cooking.
  17. For crockpot: Heat olive oil, sauté onions, garlic, and carrots about 5 minutes until soft.
  18. Transfer veggies to crockpot.
  19. Add tomato sauce, spices, broth, water, and beans; stir but do not add pasta yet.
  20. Cook on low for 4–6 hours.
  21. In last hour, add dry pasta, stir, cover, and continue cooking for the final hour.
  22. Alternatively, cook pasta separately and add before serving to avoid overcooking.
  23. Undercook pasta as it will continue cooking and absorb broth; add more broth if soup thickens too much.
  24. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Notes

Prep veggies up to a day ahead for convenience; a food processor can speed chopping., Use low-sodium canned beans and rinse them well to control salt., Dried beans can be cooked ahead and refrigerated for quicker meal prep., Adding a parmesan rind during cooking enriches flavor; remove before serving., Soup should be thick enough to eat with a fork; add broth for a soupier texture., Serve with crusty bread, parmesan shavings, fresh basil, cracked black pepper, and a simple salad., Substitutions: avocado oil or melted butter for olive oil; onion and garlic powder if fresh unavailable; navy or great northern beans for cannellini; fresh herbs can replace dried with 2 tbsp fresh per 1 tsp dried; small pasta shapes like elbows or baby shells can replace ditalini; chicken, beef, or vegetable broth all work; adding bacon, pancetta, ground turkey, beef, or shredded chicken creates a meaty variation; spinach can be stirred in at the end for extra veggies., Refrigerate leftovers for 3-4 days; reheat gently with added broth to loosen pasta., Soup freezes well but pasta may soften and become mushy after thawing; still delicious., For best pasta texture, stovetop method is recommended over crockpot or Instant Pot.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://cookerygood.com/best-pasta-fagioli-recipe/