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5 from 1 vote

Vegan Pasta e Fagioli

Vegan Pasta e Fagioli is a classic Neapolitan-style soup/stew with a creamy bean broth, chewy pasta, and comforting tomato flavor. Simple, filling, nourishing, and very easy to make.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Course: Dinner, Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4
Author: Thomas

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces macaroni or other pasta see note (170 grams)
  • 28 ounces canned whole peeled tomatoes including juices (800 grams)
  • 2 cans pinto beans drained, see notes (28 ounces / 800 grams total)
  • 4 cloves garlic pressed or minced
  • 2 ribs celery diced
  • 2 vegan sausage links diced (optional)
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 cups vegetable stock divided (can substitute water)
  • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste (optional - see note)
  • 1 Tablespoon miso
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish

  • Fresh parsley or basil chopped
  • Nutritional yeast to taste

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. When hot, add the garlic and celery. Saute and stir until the celery is slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and break them into rough chunks with a spatula.
  • When the tomatoes are heated through, use the spatula to move all the ingredients to one side of the pot. Add the vegan sausage and allow it to brown, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.
  • Add the beans, bay leaf, 2 cups of the vegetable stock, and the tomato paste. Turn to high heat and stir until it reaches a gentle boil. Stir in the pasta and try to get each piece submerged in liquid. Add more vegetable stock at any time, as needed, to keep them submerged.
  • Once the soup returns to a simmer, reduce to medium low heat, cover, and cook until the pasta is just cooked. Stir in the miso, using a fork to make sure it breaks apart. You can use the remainder of the vegetable stock to thin the soup out, if you like.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Garnish with parsley or basil and a sprinkling of nutritional yeast and serve immediately.

Notes

You can use any kind of pasta, or even mix types of pasta. Though tubular varieties are best for this dish.
Many Italian recipes call for borlotti (aka cranberry) beans. They are speckled and similar to pinto, though not easy to find. Kidney beans, white beans (cannellini, great northern) will work just as well.
You can use dry beans as well, but you’ll need to soak and cook them in advance. The equivalent amount of dry beans is about 1.5 cups.
If you use water instead of vegetable stock, the soup may not be as flavorful. You can increase the amount of miso slightly to give it more flavor.
The tomato paste gives the soup a nice boost but it’s not critical.
The pasta will continue to soften the longer it is in the soup. For the best pasta texture, serve the soup right when the pasta is perfect.