Vegetarian Pasta e Fagioli: Tuscan Bean Soup
This hearty pasta and bean soup is easy to make and has an incredible depth of flavour. It's sure to warm up even the coldest of winter days!
Ingredients
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion very finely diced
- 1 large carrot very finely diced
- 1 rib celery very finely diced
- ¼ tsp chili flakes
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp (1 tsp) tomato paste
- 150 ml (½ cup) dry white wine (see note 1)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 (400g/14oz) can (1 can) whole peeled tomatoes crushed with hands
- 2 (400g/14oz) cans (2 cans) cannellini beans drained
- 1 ½ litres (6 cups) vegetable stock
- 1 parmesan cheese rind optional
- 2 bay leaves optional
- 125 g (2 cups) small pasta such as ditalini, macaroni or small shells
- 500 g (18 oz) kale (1 bunch), stripped from ribs and roughly chopped
- 10 g (2 tbsp) flat-leaf parsley chopped
- Zest from 1 lemon
- parmesan cheese grated, for garnish
Instructions
- Place a Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onion, carrot and celery along with a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are very soft, beginning to brown and fond begins to collect on the bottom of the pan, about 10-15 minutes. If you find the vegetables are browning too quickly, add a splash of water to halt the cooking.
- Add the chili flakes, garlic and tomato paste. Cook until very fragrant and the tomato paste begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the white wine, stir to combine and cook until the alcohol smell has dissipated and the wine has almost entirely reduced, about 3-5 minutes. Add the soy sauce and stir to combine.
- Add the tomatoes along with all of their juices. Stir to combine and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened and reduced (you should be able to draw a line with your spoon and have the bottom of the pan be visible), about 10 minutes.
- Add the beans. Pour over vegetable stock, add the parmesan rind (if using), the bay leaves, and a few generous pinches of salt. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
- Using a potato masher, mash the beans until about ⅓ of them are broken down (see note 2). Then, add the pasta and kale and stir. Simmer, stirring frequently to ensure the pasta does not stick to the bottom of the pot, until the pasta is tender and al dente, about 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Remove the parmesan rind and bay leaves from the pot. Add parsley and lemon zest and stir to combine. Taste to adjust for seasoning.
- Serve, topping with grated parmesan, chopped parsley and extra virgin olive oil, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Pinot Grigio, Semillon or Sauvignon Blanc are great options, but you can use any dry white wine you have on hand. You can skip the wine if you don't want to/can't cook with alcohol. However, add the juice of half a lemon when adding the zest when finishing up the soup in order to get the desired level of acidity.
- If you want to make this dish in advance and freeze it, this is the time to do it. Once the soup is defrosted, put it back on the heat and add in the kale and pasta. Continue on with the final steps before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 472kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 2458mg | Potassium: 867mg | Fiber: 19g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 16228IU | Vitamin C: 134mg | Calcium: 513mg | Iron: 9mg
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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