Vegan pasta soup (vegan pasta e fagioli)

You'll love this incredible vegan pasta soup aka Pasta E Fagioli. It's vegan, gluten-free, high in protein, quick to prepare and suitable for the whole family!

The Tuscany region of central Italy is one of my favourite places in the world, filled with lush green rolling hills, rich history, and must-see destinations such as Florence and Pisa.

Beans are an important part of the Tuscan diet, and one dish particularly famed as originating from the region is Pasta E Fagioli, a delicious cannellini bean and pasta soup. Its traditionally made with a broth of olive oil, garlic, minced onion, celery, carrots and, often, stewed tomatoes. It tastes utterly divine, totally comforting and packed with flavour.

As regular readers will know, I'm working with innovative pasta brand, Explore Cuisine to share my take on some classic pasta dishes using their range of organic, gluten-free, protein-packed and high-fibre pastas using exciting ingredients such as beans, lentils, rice, & chickpeas.

As a “pasta pioneer”, this month, I'm using Explore Cuisine Organic Edamame & Mung Bean Fettuccine to create a family-friendly, satisfying take on Pasta E Fagioli that takes only 10-minutes to prepare.

Now, traditionally, one would begin by soaking dried beans for many hours, before cooking the broth slowly, but in my inauthentic but still tasty version, we use tinned beans and vegetable stock to make a speedy version.

Here's how to make it.

Instructions

Warm the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.

Cook for 2 minutes until soft.

Add the tomatoes and tomato puree.

Stir in 500ml vegetable stock.

Add the kale and bay leaf.

Simmer for 2 minutes until the kale wilts.

Break the Explore Cuisine Organic Edamame & Mung Bean Fettuccine into thirds to give pieces a couple of inches long.

Add the pasta to the pan along with the beans.

Simmer for 5 minutes until the pasta is soft.

Season to taste and serve into bowls.

If you'd like to print this pasta e fagioli recipe to try later, just hit print on the recipe card below.

This is a commissioned post for Explore Cuisine.

Some tips and tricks for making a great vegan pasta soup

Here's some help on how best to cook and store your soup along with what goes will with it.

What could you do differently with the flavours?

The only real criteria for this dish is that pasta and beans are in the soup - you really can use whatever is in your cupboard to make a dish that works for you.

The dish is generally made with cannellini beans or borlotti beans and it's usually with garlic, onion, celery and carrots cooked in olive oil. Tomatoes and/or tomato paste is often added too.

But whatever you have in your cupboard or fridge from celeriac to bacon, fennel to sausage, courgette to chilli - if you think it would work then throw it in.

Why not visit your herbs and spices while you're cooking your dish get some inspiration for how to flavour it.

Can vegan pasta soup be prepared ahead of time? How best to store pasta e fagioli? How long will it last?

As with almost any pasta dish this recipe is best served just after making. However, if you're prepared to take a little bit of a hit on the texture of some of the ingredients it should still taste delicious reheated.

Store in an airtight container and as soon as it's cooled to room temp, pop into the fridge straight away - it should last for 3 days.

Can vegan pasta soup be frozen?

Yes, just make sure to get it in the freezer as soon as it's cooled down and make sure to store it in an airtight container. If you think that you might not eat it all in one sitting you can dish it out into smaller containers before freezing.

Another possibility is to make the soup base but stop after you add the vegetable stock. If you store the base in an airtight container in the freezer and then reheat it in a pan before adding beans, kale and pasta you should be able to get the best of both worlds - a delicious meal with practically zero prep but with fresh ingredients. You can of course put whatever's available on the day in your reheated base.

Is it safe to eat pasta e fagioli on a gluten-free diet? Is it safe to eat pasta e fagioli on a vegan diet?

This recipe is totally vegan and because I used a gluten-free pasta it's also fully gluten-free.

Be sure to check that the pasta you're using is gluten-free (and suitable for coeliacs) if that's a consideration for you.

Is vegan pasta soup healthy?

Pasta e fagioli contains a lot of veg to create all that flavour and can be a tasty part of a healthy diet.

What goes with pasta e fagioli?

I really enjoy it with some crusty bread and olive oil for dipping, but you could get a lot fancier than that if you want. You could slice and toast some bread then finish with anything from goat's cheese and a few chopped nuts to garlic rubbed toast and some slices of good tomato with a little salt, pepper and olive oil.

I loved pasta e fagioli, what other soup recipes can I try?

If you love pasta or soup then you should check out all the other pasta recipes and soup recipes available, there are some great ones and you're bound to find something you like.

Here are a few that I've cooked recently.

https://www.amummytoo.co.uk/courgette-whole-wheat-pasta-poached-egg/

Where does pasta e fagioli originate from? What's the history?

Also known as pasta fusul in America the dish is a traditional Italian peasant soup. Other than it containing pasta and beans the exact method of preparation and ingredients can vary widely throughout Italy and these days around the world. Check out the introductory paragraphs of this post for a little more info.

More great vegan recipes