Instructions

1. It’s also a dish of a thousand variations. Some cooks make a pasta e fagioli that’s so thick, it’s basically a pasta dish. Some people use so much tomato the fazool looks like a tomato soup with pasta and beans.
2. This pasta fagioli version is more of a chicken soup with beans and pasta and a little tomato. You can add more tomato if you’d like. I will often drizzle a little good olive oil over the soup at the end, or grate some parmesan cheese over it.
3. You can freeze this soup, but when it’s defrosted the pasta will have broken down some and have a different – and not very appealing – texture. If you want to freeze some of this soup, or any other soup with pasta such as minestrone, do not cook the pasta in the soup. Cook it separately and add it to the soup right before serving. That way, whatever portion you freeze will not have pasta in it, and cooked pasta can be added after this soup has been defrosted and reheated.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, carrot and celery for 2 to 3 minutes, until its soft and translucent. Add the garlic, chili flakes and Italian seasoning and sauté another minute.
5. Add the chicken stock and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and keep the soup at a strong simmer.
6. When the pasta is al dente, add the beans and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley. Add salt and black pepper to taste.