Comforting Pasta Fagioli Recipe

Pasta fagioli is one of those soups that makes a regular night feel handled. You brown some beef, soften a pile of vegetables, then let tomatoes, broth, beans, and herbs do their thing. Add pasta at the end and you have a bowl that is cozy without being complicated.

And yes, we are going to settle the "pasta fazool" question too, because your group chat deserves answers.

What is the difference between Pasta Fazool and pasta fagioli?

Most of the time, they're the same dish with different wording, especially in the U.S.

• "Pasta e fagioli" (or "pasta fagioli")is the standard Italian name and it literally means pasta and beans.

• "Pasta fazool"is the Italian-American, dialect-based pronunciation that stuck, especially in communities with roots in Southern Italy.

If you want a practical difference you will actually notice: people often use "pasta fazool" to mean a thicker, heartier version, while "pasta e fagioli" can lean more brothy, but there is no global rule. Families do what families do.

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What kind of pasta is used in pasta fagioli?

Small pasta shapesare the move because they fit on a spoon and cook quickly.

Most common picks:

• Ditalini(the classic "tiny tubes" choice)

• Small shells

• Elbow macaroni

• Acini di pepe(very small, more "soupy")

This recipe uses ditalini, which is ideal because it stays spoon-friendly and doesn't bully the beans out of the bowl.

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What are the ingredients in pasta fagioli soup?

Across regions, pasta fagioli usually has:

• Beans(often cannellini, cranberry beans, or other white beans)

• Small pasta

• A base of onion, carrot, and celery

• Garlic and herbs

• Broth

• Often tomato(not always, but very common)

• Sometimes meat(beef, pancetta, sausage) or it can be meatless

The version below is a hearty, tomato-forward, weeknight-friendly pot with ground beef plus two kinds of beans.

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What does fazool mean in Italian slang?

Here's the truth that clears up a lot of confusion: "fazool" is not standard Italian.It is an Italian-American slangy pronunciation that comes from Southern Italian dialect forms of "fagioli" (beans). So when someone says "pasta fazool," they are basically saying pasta and beans, just through the way it sounded in dialect and then in American neighborhoods over time.

In short: fazool = beans (by way of dialect), not a separate ingredient, and not a different dish by default.

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Comforting Pasta Fagioli Recipe (Ready in about 50 minutes)

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

• 1 lb lean ground beef

• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion

• 1 cup diced carrots (about 2 medium)

• 1 cup diced celery (about 3 stalks)

• 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbsp)

• 3 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce

• 2 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth

• 1/2 cup water, plus more as needed

• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes

• 2 tsp granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 3/4 tsp dried thyme

• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 cup dry ditalini pasta

• 1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 (15 oz) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed

• Finely shredded Romano or Parmesan, for serving

• 3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Brown the beef.Set a large pot over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the ground beef, break it up, and cook until no pink remains. Drain excess fat, then move the beef to a plate.

2. Cook the vegetables.Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same pot. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until softened, about 6 minutes, stirring now and then. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.

3. Build the soup.Pour in the chicken broth, tomato sauce, 1/2 cup water, and diced tomatoes. Stir in sugar, basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram, and the cooked beef. Season with salt and black pepper.

4. Simmer.Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

5. Cook the pasta.While the soup simmers, cook the ditalini in salted water until al dente, according to the package. Drain.

6. Finish with beans and pasta.Stir kidney beans and great northern beans into the soup. Add the cooked pasta and let everything warm through for about 1 minute. If you want it thinner, add a splash of broth or water until it looks right to you.

7. Serve.Stir in parsley. Ladle into bowls and top with Romano or Parmesan.

Important note so your leftovers stay good

If you are not finishing the whole pot right away, keep the pasta separateand add it to each bowl as you reheat. Pasta keeps drinking broth in the fridge, and nobody asked it to do that.