Pasta e Fagioli

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Enjoy a bowl of ditalini pasta and white beans tossed in a smooth marinara sauce with spicy Italian sausage and Tuscan kale. Add in a little chicken bone broth to make this dish even more wholesome.

Pasta is one of those dishes where you really want the flavor to pop. The secret is in the sauce, literally. I always find myself adding lemon juice or additional salt to pasta to really bring out the sauce.

This recipe is an easy recipe to throw together and uses up those pantry staples you may have on hand. I personally haven't done this, but I know many people do pantry challenges around this time of year. A pantry challenge is when you reduce your grocery shopping and use up what is already in your pantry.

This recipe is made with ditalini pasta and white beans. You can use any type of small pasta really, but typically ditalini is used. This makes for saucy bite-sized spoonfuls. The ditalini also makes this a lot like the olive garden pasta e fagioli, except I like to add in Tuscan kale and Italian sausage. Honestly, the sausage really soaks up the sauce and is what makes this meal (in my humble opinion).

What is Pasta e Fagioli?

Pasta e fagioli literally means "pasta and beans". Those are the main ingredients (usually a small pasta and white beans). There are many variations like adding in red kidney beans or making it into a soup, but technically it all falls under the umbrella of pasta e fagioli.

Pasta e Fagioli vs. Minestrone

Pasta e fagioli can be more saucy or soup-like in consistency. Typically, they are both vegetarian recipes (unless you are like me and add sausage) and both often contain pasta and beans. But what sets them apart is that minestrone contains more vegetables than pasta e fagioli. Because remember we are talking about pasta and beans here.

What You Will Need

1 medium carrot

½ onion

½ lb Italian sausage sliced in ½ inch pieces

2 cloves garlic minced

2 cups ditalini (or small pasta like macaroni) cooked, add olive oil to prevent sticking

1 medium tomato diced into small pieces

½ cup Tuscan kale stems removed and leaves chopped

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 cup white beans cooked

2 cups chicken bone broth

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes for serving

How to Make Pasta e Fagioli

Warm the dutch oven on the stovetop on medium high heat.

Add the sausage and pan fry until browned.

Meanwhile, add the carrot and onion to the food processor and chop into fine pieces.

Once the sausage is cooked, remove it from the pan and set aside. Deglaze the pan and sauté the carrot and onion until softened.

Then add in the tomato, tomato paste, minced garlic, bone broth, salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.

Then add in the sausage, beans, kale, and cooked pasta into the pot and simmer until the kale has wilted slightly.

Remove from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy with shredded parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.

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