Andrea's Pasta Fagioli

Start by saying that I am 100% Italian. This is a recipe for pasta fagioli an Italian soup that means "pasta with beans". Pasta Fagioli does not have ground meat,carrots,celery etc. It has pasta, tomato and beans. By the way this recipe as it stands is very good.

I will admit I altered the recipe quite a bit, but relative simple changes and this turned out great! This is definitely a quick fix and don't be fooled into thinking you must have all the ingredients - experiment a little! My recommendations for improvemnent: Don't use the recommended pasta. Try using a very small amount of fideo pasta (it plumps and absorbs a lot, so use sparingly to avoid a stew like texture) or you can also try 1/2 - 2/3 cup of mini macaroni (salad macaroni). The fideo and mini macaroni can be added directly to the soup during the last 20-25 minutes of simmer time. This elimates the need to cook the pasta separately. Also, omit the salt. Substitute chicken (or beef) broth/bouillon cubes instead of the water. I used 3 cups chicken stock (bouillon) and 2 cups water (which is why I omitted the salt). I also substituted one 15oz can diced tomatoes and one 15oz can of tomato sauce instead - definitely worth this alteration! I didn't have navy beans so I used a can of chickpeas instead. Be generous with the parmesean cheese - put about a generous 1/2 cup portion instead - this helped with the overall flavor! I've made it a few times now and each time it tastes better than the last - especially with the minor adjustments! Thanks for a great starter recipe!

Since I’m always willing to try new recipes I tried this one, before reviewing it. While different from mine, this is a good recipe. I’m 67 years old and yes, Italian also (which doesn’t make me an authority)! I have been making my variation of Pasta Fagioli for a long time and I always use celery. For a reviewer to make such a broad statement that celery or carrots are NEVER in Pasta Fagioli, is just wrong. If you like celery or carrots in your Pasta Fagioli, by all means USE THEM! This is a peasant or farmers type meal and they had to use what they had on hand. Yes this is basically a bean and pasta soup without meat, although there are authentic recipes that use Pancetta (Italian bacon), obviously from peasants with more Lira than the average peasant… lol… so if you want meat USE IT! After all, you’re cooking to please yourself and your family. If you check Lidia Matticchio Bastianich’s recipe, (from Lydia’s Italy on PBS) her recipe has potatoes, carrots and ham hocks in it. So you see, as with any recipe, there are probably as many variations as there are cooks, and all recipes are authentic to each individual cook. Experiment and cook to satisfy yourself, that’s what makes cooking fun and exciting! Mangia!

I was really surprised by how good this is. I've tried a lot of pasta e fagioli recipes, and none of them have tasted like what I remember eating in Italy as a child--until now. I didn't experience excessive thickening of the soup, but I did cook it with a lid on. I do recommend doing this. It is very thick the next day, but this is expected with bean-based soups, and does fine with a little water added. Thank you for the recipe!

This was GREAT!!! I did have to make some adjustments b/c I only had a 40 oz can of cannellini beans, so I elimated the navy beans, and used the whole can. I also added 2-14oz cans of diced tomatoes, and 1-14oz can of sauce. Used chicken broth instead of water. Added a bit of crushed red pepper for some kick, some crumbled cooked bacon, and served w/ grated asiago cheese. ALSO, cook the pasta separately and run cold water on and allow to cool before adding to soup, so it doesnt absorb all of the broth!! Great w/ crusty bread and salad.

My husband and I thought this was delicious. Based on some of the reviews, I decided to reduce the amount of past to 1/2 lb. In the future, I would possibly reduce this even further to 1/3 lb. Other than that, I think that it is a great recipe. I make it again and again.

I have to give this recipe 5 stars because it's definitely the best recipe of it's type that I've tried, from several sources. I made a few adjustments based on the reviews...I added bite-sized carrots and celery to the onion as it was cooking. I added a 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes, and used 3 cans of beans: 2 red kidney beans and 1 can of great northern beans (comparable to the other white beans called for in the recipe). I used less olive oil to cook the onion, and romano rather than parmesean cheese. I also only used 4 cups of liquid: 2 cups of water and 2 of chicken broth. I think next time I'll use the full 5 1/2 cups of liquid, as my husband thought the broth was just a bit too tomatoey. I thought it was great, and I'll definitely make it again. I served it with the Garden Herb loaf from this site, which is a hearty, chewy bread and a great companion for this soup.

This was delicious. Based on other reviews, I added 1/2 package frozen spinach, chicen broth rather than water, and 1 can tomato sauce & 1 can diced tomatos. Will certainly make again!

For all those who didn't think this was "soup," try adding the pasta to each serving individually. That way the "soup" doesn't get soaked up. I cook the pasta, put it separate bowl at the table, or in a ziplock bag and add it as I prepare servings. I do the same with the cheese.

PLEASE PEOPLE DO NOT BUTCHER THIS RECIPE! This is exactly what a true Italian Pasta Fagioli is supose to be. Both my 100% Italian Father and Mother-in-law make it almost exactly like this. It is suppose to be more of a beans and pasta dish than a soup. The only thing that I did was added a can of diced tomato's, extra garlic and substituted chicken broth/red wine for the water as that is the way my Dad does it. This is authentic:-) Thanks Andrea!

I thought this recipe was great but needed some additions! I added 2/3 # of ground sirloin (browned), sliced carrots, sliced celery and I added one 15oz can of diced tomatoes (with juice) and one 15 oz can of tomato sauce instead of the large can of tomato sauce the recipe calls for. This turned out great and I also only used 1/3# of the pasta! Added extra parmesan too!

This recipe is good and basic and used a lot of ingredients that I always have on hand. I tried a variation by using a can of stewed tomatoes instead of the tomato sauce. It made the soup a lot more hearty. I also added a little crushed red pepper to give it a kick. The amount of pasta that the recipe calls for is way too much! Otherwise, definitely good for a good, simple meal.

I gave this recipe 5 stars without having to make it. I know it is good because it is almost exactly like the one my Italian mom made for me and what I make for my family.The only exceptions are I do not add onions.I am sure it would be a welcome addition making the dish a little sweeter if that is what you like.Also I like to add a Knorrs vegetarian boullion cube,then omit extra salt.This is one of my families favorites and very easy.Sometimes I use crushed tomatoes or petite diced depending on what I have same goes for the pasta elbows ,shells,etc. One product I do prefer to use is Progresso Cannelini beans they stay firm also the juice they are packed in is less gelatin like then others.I do agree with a comment that was made in a review about not changing this recipe into something it is not. It is beans and pasta, great in its simplicity an Italian peasant dish. Oh and don't forget to sprinkle parmesan on top!

This is very good. I did use 2 cans of chicken broth in place of 4 cups water. I also added 1/2 lb. of groud beef. I also cut the amount of pasta down by half. Very good!! A keeper.

Everyone who wants to change this recipe and still call it Pasta e Fagioli should read this review: Reviewed on Jan. 7, 2010 by T-Bone Start by saying that I am 100% Italian. This is a recipe for pasta fagioli an Italian soup that means "pasta with beans". Pasta Fagioli does not have ground meat,carrots,celery etc. It has pasta, tomato and beans. By the way this recipe as it stands is very good. Also, I have made this recipe over and over and find that it needs no 'kickers' or additions or subtractions. This is a true Pasta e Fagioli. My only change would be to make more of it. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.

Excellent recipe, I took the advice of others and used 2-14oz cans diced tomatoes in place of the sauce. Doubled the onions and garlic, used chicken broth instead of water. Added 1/2lb italian sausage, casing removed and cooked, decreased the pasta to 1/2lb. Sprinkled the parmesan cheese onto each individual bowl just before serving. Will be making again....

this was ok

I used an extra can of canellini beans, and approx. 1/3 lb. of ditalini. It was the first time I made it, and it was perfect!! It had a lot of flavor, without needing to use chicken or vegetable broth, and my vegetarian mother loved it!

I've been trying to make a pasta fagiolelike our local Italian restaurant's and this is it! I substituted veggie broth for the water. But I made it with the entire 1lb pasta - soaked up all the sauce, even adding it for only five minutes. I will use 1/3 the next time. Everyone raved about this soup. THANKS!

This was excellent, I followed advice of others and replaced the water with low sodium/low fat chicken broth. I also added 1# ground chicken (only because according to my husband, it's not a meal without meat). I also used 1 can diced tomatos (italian style) & 1 can tomato sauce. My husband LOVED it - he added Creole seasoning to his helping & it did add really great flavor to it.

Good basic soup. Great recipe. Simple..no gr. beef or other veggies needed.

Very delicious and easy to make. I followed some advise from other reviews. I used chicken broth instead of water, I only used 16oz of can tomato sauce and added a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes. I also cut the pasta amount to 1/2 pound. Next time I might add some chopped fresh spinach leaves to sneak in more veggies. I will definitely be making this again.

this was one of the best soups i ever had! i ended up using tons more cheese and white beans instead of navy beans because i could not find them. i also used mini penne noodles because i could not find the ones your recipe called for. My husband LOVED this!!

I simplified things by cooking the pasta in the pot of soup because the leftovers were going to be combined anyway. Even though I only used 1/2 lb of ditalini, the noodles still absorbed almost all of the liquid while cooking! Next time I'm either going to cook (and refrigerate) the noodles separately or else use only 1/4 lb of noodles. Also I thought the soup was a bit too heavy on the herbs. Good other than that. But my husband loved it and made a sad face when I told him I'd use less pasta next time. Giving it 4 stars because I'm assuming it would be better as written with the noodles cooked (and stored!) separately.

This was a good basic recipe. I took the advice of others and used chicken broth instead of water, additional garlic and added carrots and corn. I also added some mini meatballs. Instead of tomato sauce I used plum tomatoes in the can that I roughly chopped. This made it more liquidy.

This is delicious already, and I haven't even let it simmer for very long! I did add 3 carrots, 2 celery ribs, and 2 zucchini, all chopped, and a 15oz can of Italian stewed tomatoes (chopped) and 15oz sauce for a little veggie-ness. I will be making this again and again!

Great basic recipe, but I added some veggies like: 2 stalks of celery, 2 large carrots, 1 Zucchini, chicken broth instead of water, fresh basil, 1/2 cup of frozen spinach and a little extra parmesan cheese. I also cooked less pasta. It's really good!

outstanding! changed these things. added handful of spinach, diced tomato, chicken broth instead of water. otherwise as written. i personally think the noodles took away from the soup.

I have found several good recipes on this site, but this is my favorite! It's easy, delicious, and healthy, what more can you ask for? This is also one of the few recipes that everyone in my family loved. I took the advice of some of the other reviews and replaced the water with chicken broth and the tomato sauce with two 14 oz cans of italian seasoned diced tomatoes and it's perfect. Will definitely be one of my regulars! Thanks for this great recipe!

This has become the recipe I get asked to make whenever we are invited somewhere. It gets raves from everyone. I do reduce the pasta to 1/2 lb, use chicken broth in place of water, and during cooking I leave the pot covered (to avoid the liquid being totally absorbed by the pasta), but otherwise I follow the recipe exactly, and the results are amazing. One time I tried browning a pound of ground sausage and adding it to the soup, and it was good that way too, but certainly not necessary

I grew up with "beans and macaroni" being thick. So I added the ditalini in the base and used beef broth instead of water. Also just a little crushed red pepper for some zing. End result wonderful and exactly what I was looking for. Just like grandma's.

Not bad. If I were to make it a second time I'd probably only use half the amount of pasta called for, and fresh basil wouldn't hurt either. But, since it was not a hit with my children and my husband didn't get excited about it, it's going on the back burner.

Made this for vegetarian friends on another cold day. Really good and easy and cheap to make. Used up a bunch of tomatoes from my CSA basket. Thanks for the recipe.

this soup was excellent! i substituted the paramesean cheese with a non dairy paramsean flavored "cheese" and used vegetable broth instead of water. i couldn't find the cannellini beans so i doubled up on the navy, but being that i haven't had this before i can't compare. none the less, it was delicious! i agree with the below information on the noodles. wait til the rest of the soup is done and add to each serving.

This is more like minestrone. I prefer to use one of the regular pasta e fagioli recipes (preferably one that calls for water rather than chicken broth) and use a pinch of chipotle pepper powder to replace the smoky taste of the ham or prosciutto in the original.

This soup had me singin' in ITALIAN! OMGOSH it was soooo good and I'm not really one to rave over Pasta Fagioli! Really GREAT recipe! I only changed a few things... (which is big for me!) I chopped the onion ... I added 2 tsp of chicken bullion and a few dashes of salt too. I also added 1/2 tsp cumin and two parmesan rinds because it did seem like it needed a little something else. I didn't have the beans it called for on hand so I used one can of kidney and one can of black beans UNDRAINED... I didn't have the right pasta either so I used a tri-colored bow tie pasta which I DID NOT ADD RIGHT AWAY... I allowed the soup to simmer for an hour and 15 minutes - occasionally stirring it and I cooked the pasta separately so that it wouldn't get soggy with any leftovers. I just put in 1/2 cup of the pasta in the bottom of each bowl to serve and garnished with grated parmesan! Dang it was SOOO GOOD! Okay so... after typing this up it seems I did changes some things --- but let's just say I TRIED to keep to the recipe... oh yeah --- one more thing (I'm laughing now!) Instead of parsley - I always substitute cilantro.... I can't help myself. So... so much for not changing much! HA! Served with garlic bread - EVERYONE LOVED IT and most had seconds!

Oh wow! This recipe certainly earned all the glowing reviews! Following reviewer's advice to substitute chicken bouillon for plain water made this especially delicious. Also added carrots and spinach for some extra veggie deliciousness. Between three people, I hardly had any leftovers and they disappeared the next day.

This is a wonderful soup very easy to make. I did triple the amount of garlic. I will definately make tis again.

I found this to be a quick, frugal and tasty recipe. I made this for a friend who came by for dinner with her young son. We all ate by candlelight. Two single moms with our children. There were NO leftovers and my friend asked for the recipe and more like it the next day. Seems this recipe inspired her to eat frugal but healthy also. This is a recipe box keeper.

Talk about comfort food!!! This fa-jool was AMAZING..My family slurped it up like there was no tomorrow! Made it exactly as specified, just added fresh basil and fresh oregano instead of dried. Absolutely KILLER!!! Served it up with some crusty garlic bread and some pinot gris. Andrea, Tell Grandma GRAZIE! Folks, trust me.....MAKE THIS!!!

Very flavorful! I'm not a huge leftovers person, but I ate this for lunch the next day and dinner the day after that.

Wow, Andrea, thanks so much to you and all the other reviewers! This is fantastic. I used chicken broth in place of water, petite diced tomatoes (undrained) in place of tomato sauce and added mushrooms and 1/2 lb cooked hot Italian sausage. It is quite thick with the whole lb. of pasta but that's the way we like it!

This is delicious! I omitted the cheese to make it vegan. This will be in my weekly rotation. So healthy, delicious and very easy to make. The best thing about it is you can add other vegetables and it will still taste great. I added crushed tomatoes and fresh spinach. Yummy!

I have a hard time with tomato based soups. I was hoping to have some luck with this recipe but it just turned out ok. I added some spinach which gave it some nice color. I probably will not make this again. NOTE: As with the other viewers I added the pasta last. Be careful how much you add as it will overtake the soup.

Recipe is great, but would recommend a few changes. I used 4 cups of chicken broth and the rest I used water. Another can of beans would be a great addition. I used the advice of others and kept the pasta and soup separate until serving, and kept remaining leftovers separate as well and mixed when reheating. One pound of pasta was too much, I'll reduce to 3/4 pound next time.

This soup was delicious! I substituted 6 cups of fat-free chicken broth for the water, didn't use the salt and added a small can of diced tomatoes. I also used about 1/2 pound of the ditalini.

I substituted diced tomatoes for tomato sauce, and broth for water. Microwaved a 10 oz block of frozen leaf spinach and added that in the end, with the pasta. I felt mighty righteous for making such a nutritious dish! It was so good, served with Aidells Artichoke & Garlic and crusty bread on the side.

My family loves this recipe, especially my 2 yr old who is a bean lover! I add chopped celery and carrots when cooking the onions. I use chicken broth instead of all or some of the water used. I usually use whatever pasta I have on hand, (I prefer it with small elbow macaroni but have never tried ditalini). I bring the water/chicken broth to a boil and cook the pasta until almost done, then I add the beans, tomato sauce, & spices. I usually use a couple of cans of "Organic Soup Beans" which has red beans, great northern beans, barley & lentils; or I'll use leftover fresh pintos and/or a mix of whatever beans I have in the pantry. Sometimes I'll use leftover spaghetti sauce instead of tomato sauce, in which case I cut back on the spices. I always add fresh ground pepper in addition to theother spices listed and I put a tiny bit of crushed red pepper in my bowl (not the pot because it's too spicy for my 2 yr old). I put a bowl of fresh grated Parmesan on the table so everyone can put as much or as little as they want instead of stirring into the pot. This soup is super easy to make, delicious and very flexible. I make it all the time!

My boys love their "Mama's pasta and beans" it is such a simple recipe but I am so afraid of messing it up and my boys no longer eating it. So on Good Friday I went searchng for a recipe similar to my mothers but not exactly it. This was the closest to it and it was delicious! The boys ate it (although they still love Mama's better) and even my husband said it was very good. I made it exactly as the recipe stated. Thank you for sharing!!

I made this as presented with one minor change, I used diced tomatoes uindrained. It was SO good. I think I'd use less pasta next time though. I also made the herb bread refrenced in a previous review....YUM!

Great soup, easy to add your own vegetables to it etc. I made it as the recipe states and it came out great. I agree there was a bit too much pasta, half would do it. I plan on experimenting with this, perhaps add some heavy cream. A must try, feeds many.

Pasta Yumioli! I added extra cheese because everything is better with cheese (seriously, I want extra cheese on my cheese). I used veggie broth instead of water and added a can of diced tomatoes. Make sure you make your noodles separately because they are super absorbent and will SUCK all your JUICES. I sent some of this soup to my sister who was sick and it magically healed her. So I'm not gonna say this soup magically healed her but I will say it probably did.

As an Italian-American, I have tasted many versions of pasta e fagioli, and this is excellent. For extra flavor, I replaced half of the water with chicken broth and added 1/2c red cooking wine. I also omitted the salt since both of these changes add salt. If you plan on having leftovers, you may also want to consider leaving the pasta separate until serving since it will absorb most of the liquid. You don't need quite the full pound of pasta to use up the soupy part either. One last small change I made was using a 29 oz. can of diced plum tomatoes and putting only half in the blender to leave some whole tomato pieces.

This is a very good and quickly made version of this favorite soup. When making this I keep the basic seasoning and ingredients other than the veggies, and vary those by what I have or what's in season. Everyone in the family likes it. (We're not Italian) In the past I've made a version I found on the net that states it's and Olive Garden clone recipe, which is what I make when I have a little more time...

I love this soup (and so did everyone I served it to -- they were were scraping the bottom of the pot)! After trying it a few times at local restaurants, I needed to find a great recipe for it -- and I did (plus it's fast). Changes I made were using chicken broth instead of water, and using Great Northern Beans instead of cannellini and navy beans (I like them better). I waited to add my pasta and parmesean cheese till the end as suggested by other reviewers. Next time I will only use about 1/3 lb. of pasta, and I'll probably add another can of beans and maybe try not draining them (I like a strong bean flavor). Thanks Andrea!

This was a great hit on this snowy day. Because of some changes I made to the recipe I did let it simmer much longer with everyone expressing how wonderful the aromas were in my kitchen. These are the changes that I made: in addition to onion use 3 carrots and 2 celery (all veggies chopped in food processor 48 oz can of chicken stock (do not use water) 2 14.5 cans of diced tom w/evoo and burgandy (do not use tomatoe sauce For beans use 2 cans of cannellini & 1 can Great Northern beans add 1 smashed baked potatoe (skin removed). As others suggested I did not add the ditalini pasta to the soup. After cooking the ditalini I mixed it with a little evoo (extra virgin olive oil) to keep it from sticking. I sprikled freshly grated cheese to the top of each bowl as it was served instead of adding to the soup. It was really excellant soup and I can't wait for the leftovers today.

great flavor. definitely agree with other reviews in that it turned out more like a goulash than soup. next time i'll increase the vroth and decrease the pasta

Oh my goodness this recipe is wonderful! So far I've made this recipe twice. The first time I made this recipe it was really good on its own. Now I just recently made this recipe again and let me tell you I understand how frustrating it is when people complain a recipe is "bad" after a million changes THE INDIVIDUAL MADE ON THEIR OWN. But this isn't the case, there's no harm letting people no what they did in addition to the recipe as long as you aren't bashing the original recipe without giving it a chance ( if that makes any sense lol ) Moving along, the second time I made this recipe I added carrots, celery, chicken broth instead of the water it called for, and finally I added crumbled mild Italian sausage while reducing the amount of pasta, and topping it off with just a tad more shredded parmesan cheese when I served the pasta fagioli. I personally loved it even more with the addition of Italian sausage. ( You can add Pancetta if you don't like the Italian sausage.) I completed this dish with wheat french bread and a salad. Thank you for submitting this recipe I appreciate it and don't be afraid to experiment with this dish, that's the beauty of cooking.

I really enjoyed this receipe and so did my husband. He is very picky when it comes to soups but he really liked this one. The only thing I would change is to cut up the onions a little smaller. I also added some ground beef and that's pretty tasty too.

Added a shredded carrot or 2. Otherwise, didn't change a thing. I will definitely make this one again. It was perfect.

This soup is so good! I scaled it to 30 servings for a party and people were raving about what a great cook I was! I used chicken stock and less pasta as recommended and it was great. The only thing I would do different if prepared for a large group is add a little more water and undercook the pasta. The soup was kept warm on the stove all night, and after a couple hours all the liquid was absorbed and the pasta was a little overcooked.

I was very disappointed in this recipe. I thought, because there were so many great reviews, I would enjoy this. I found it to be very bland and unexciting. My boyfriend did enjoy it, though.

Fabulous! Followed advice of my friend - fried separately, 1 lb. of bulk hot italian sausage, and added it in at the end. Have made it 3 times already!

so bland. You cant make soup in an hour. maybe if you let it reduce all day it would gain some flavor and thickness. It was basically tomato water with beans.

I have been using this base recipe for a couple of years now, and just realized I never rated it! My family absolutely loves it, even my 4 year old! I add a 10 oz package of frozen spinach (cooked and drained), crumbled turkey sausage and I use spaghetti sauce instead of tomato sauce. I also substiute chicken broth for the water. The pasta does soak up a lot of the soup, so I usually keep it in a seperate bowl, and let people dish out as much as they want in their soup. This is very easy and makes the whole house smell great! Serve with a loaf of crusty bread, and you have a great winter meal!

Turned out great and was very easy. I'll never understand those who don't follow the recipe and yet rate it.

wow - this was the first time i've tried making pasta fagioli and it was spetactular. i sampled the entire time i was cooking! i made my own red sauce which made it better. i used 4 cups chicken broth and 1.5 cups water, and added a bit more salt and pepper. i also used fresh parsley and fresh basil which added a lot more authentic flavor. about 2/3 pasta was still too much! next time i'll half it. overall, spectacular recipe!

Pasta swells up to double the size the next day so it turns into a pasta dish. Do half amount of recommended pasta. Very good especially next day.

Yummy! Makes a ton--next time I'll probably cut in half, as there are only three of us and it's more than we can eat in a couple of days. Also, next time I'll look at the can labels before I open them--instead of grabbing the cannellini and navy beans I grabbed the pinto and black bean cans that were right next to cannellini/navy. Whoops. It was still tasty.

Definitely delicious! I would reduce the pasta to 1/2 pound or even 1/3 pound and add an extra can of beans to make it a bit healthier. I also used chicken stock rather than water, which added some flavor. Was great with salad and bread!

I enjoyed this soup, however it was incredibly salty. Since the recipe doesn't state whether to drain the beans or not, I included the liquids from their cans, which may have been the reason for this problem. I also think my spices are too old as they didn't shine through over the taste of the salt. I used 15 oz. tomato sauce & 15 oz. diced tomatoes with italian herbs as I didn't have the recommended amount of tomato sauce on hand. If I try this recipe again, I will drain the beans & use new herbs. Perhaps this will solve my problem.

We used 1/2 the pasta like people suggested which was a very smart move. My husband really enjoyed it but I thought it was kind of bland. I froze some because it made a lot- at least 12 big bowls full. I will add some extra beans if I make it again.

This soup was easy to make and delicious. My husband caught a cold and I whipped this up in no time. Very easy to transport to work in a storage container. I took the advice of others and used 1/2 pound pasta. A keeper!

I really liked this recipe! Added a pound of ground beef and it was super!

Just ok but still missing something. I followed the recipe to the letter, but there doesn't really seem to be any bite to this dish. The next day, I added some torn strips of pepperoni to it which did add some zip, but overall, I was a little disappointed given all the rave reviews. I will probably make it again, and I'm certainly not a big fan of messing with recipes, but next time I will try to spice it up a bit. Just ok for me.

Good, but too much pasta. Next time I'll use about 3/4 pound of ditalini.

This was pretty good. I used red kidney beans, and I added a can of diced tomatoes and a square of beef bullion. If I make it again, I will use a smaller pasta ... I used small penne and I think it was too much, this needs a smaller shape. I would also add chiffonade spinach leaves. But overall, this had very nice flavor and I will definitely try it again.

This came out very good. Both me and my husband ate it all up in 3 days. The third day is when it tasted the best when all the seasonings were really blended together. Only thing I did different is used half the amount of pasta since we wanted a more soupy pasta fagioli. Making a second pot already for this weekend. :)

Not a favorite of mine at all. Followed recipe exactly as written too.

Delicious! I made a bulk batch of this to freeze in individual meal sized portions, and I found that adding the ditalini makes it bulk up and absorb all the broth. So if you plan to use this OAMC, or as a quick fix lunch, leave the ditalini out, freeze the soup without it, reheat, and then either add cooked ditalini or add a bit of extra water and raw ditalini. This is THE fagioli recipe. To make it a meal, add 1lb. wedding soup meatballs, and 1 lb. cooked bulk sausage. Yummy!

I love this soup and have made it recently for crowds of hungry women. No leftovers. I prefer a vegetable broth instead of water and have found 3 cans of cannellini (no navy beans) provides a better ratio of beans to pasta.

This recipe was a bit sour and bland for me but I added a can of vegetable broth, 1-1/2 tsp of sugar, only 1/2 the pasta (PLENTY!) and 1 lb of Italian sausage crumbled and cooked. THEN it was perfect! A good base recipe but excellent with my alterations.

This was amazing! Better than any restaurant! I used 4 cups of veggie broth and 2 cups of water. I decreased the pasta too. And I added a few other veggies (carrots, zuchini, squash). I added adobe spice too. Letting it simmer for an hour really helped to soak in the taste! Great recipe!

I have to give this 5 stars. I was looking for SOMETHING to make, didn't have any plans, and this was the featured recipe yesterday. Perfect! Fast, Easy, Good, Adaptable to changes...and you can dance to it! Thanks Andrea!

Very Good soup. My 7 year old son made this by himself with the exception of some onion chopping help. Super easy to make and I usually have the ingredients. We used fresh basil since we had it on hand and home-made tomato sauce from last nights dinner. Otherwise followed exactly. Next time I might add some spinach or kale and a little more garlic. Thanks for the post. My son is really proud of himself!!

This recipe was very easy and delicious. I enjoyed it and have added it to my recipe favorites.

The taste of this was delicious...BUT if you make a larger batch, or plan on keeping it for leftovers DON'T add all of the pasta...mine turned out mushy and I had to throw it out. I would suggest cooking the pasta and then placing an individual serving in a bowl and spooning the soup over it.

Huge hit with our family!

This is an excellent dish! I made it almost to the T as described by the original author. The only thing I changed was that I added fresh basil leaves instead of dried basil. One variation if you are dieting is to use 1 less tbsp olive oil and use about 1/3 amount of pasta but substitute a multigrain ditalini or even rotini, which is easier to find at most grocery stores. Oh, one other thing, I use kidney beans and cannelini beans. This is too good to miss!

Simply delicious! Definitely will make again. What a wonderful recipe!! Like other reveiwers I altered the recipe a bit. I subsituted chicken broth for the water, fresh garlic for powdered and added some bacon. I also cut down on the tomato sauce and added a can of diced tomatoes. I put the pasta in the soup 20 minutes before it was done. Personally I wasn't too happy with that since it soaked up all the liquid so I added another can of chicken broth. My husband and father loved it as it was which wasn't much of a soup.

I've made other pasta fagioli recipes before but this is by far the absolute best! My husband says "forget all the others and keep making this one!" The only thing I did differently was to use chicken broth instead of water...

Great! I used two 14 oz cans of tomato sauce, and one 14 oz can of petit diced tomatoes. One cannelloni and one kidney beans. Veggie broth instead of water, sauteed zucchini and squash with the onions and garlic, and used 1/2 the pasta. Added chopped spinach (big container) to soup last 3-5 minutes.

I have to agree with what T-Bone just said -- to an extent. Every recipe for pasta fagioli I've made has been thick and yes, more like a pasta with beans and less like a soup. Minor changes that don't change the concept are one thing, but I've never understood making drastic changes and then *rating* the recipe on that. The only thing I disagree with is that people are *allowed* to do anything they want to a recipe - it's their food after all. At any rate, the only thing I changed is that I dislike pieces of onion in stuff like this so I either leave it out or use liquid onion. Otherwise as is. Pretty easy. Pretty decent stuff but not overly exciting - I've had better. Definitely better when fresh since the pasta (as pasta will do) does soak up any liquid. Fairly filling.

Love this recipe, simple to make. Added chopped bacon or ham to make it more flavorful. A little too much pasta so reduced the pasta portion. Very rich in tomato flavor and tasted great.

This soup was easy to make and it was very good!! I will definetly make it again. Thanks for the recipe

Very good. Made recipe as is. Served with a fresh baked bread.

this just cooled enough for me to taste....it is AMAZING!! and oh so cheap to make. I am a student and wanted something filling and cheap...I got that and some great taste too! Only thing I did--used chic broth instead of water, added 1/2 can left over black beans, added 1 tbl of premade pesto. I cooked the pasta seperate as directed and looks like I only added 1/2 the prepared pasta...oh this is gonna be great in my lunch this week!

I love this recipe. I usually add a pound of lean ground beef and 1 package of frozen spinach. I also use beef broth instead of the water. I could eat this everyday!

This soup was delicious and so easy to prepare. I used half of the recommended amount of tomato sauce and added a can of diced seasoned tomatoes. I used chicken broth instead of water. Next time, I will wait until I am ready to serve the soup to add the parmesan cheese, because it stuck to the bottom of the pot.