Great for a family meal, this pasta e fagiole soup is a super easy and inexpensive dish to make.

Family dinners have always been a big part of my life. Growing up in Chicago in a family of 6, it was every night that we had a family dinner. Now, as an adult, I am happy to report that I have amazing in-laws who carry on the tradition of family dinners, and every Sunday you’ll see me posting on Instagram, @philiakelnhofer of what we’re enjoying for Sunday dinner (The picture below is from a recent Sunday dinner – my father-in-law bakes bread every weekend for dinner, isn’t that impressive?)

Long before I had a publisher for my cookbook (Fast & Easy Five-Ingredient Recipes: A Cookbook for Busy People), I was going to put out an ecookbook on the same topic (5 ingredient recipes, because I’ve posted hundreds of recipes over the past 5 years as part of my Five Ingredient Friday series) because sharing meals with family is really important to me.

So when my friend Liz of The Lemon Bowl gave me a copy of her new eCookbook, Food From Our Ancestors: The Ultimate Italian Sunday Dinner, I knew I was going to share a recipe, and of the 12 recipes in the eCookbook, this pasta e fagioli (literally translates to “pasta and beans”) caught my eye, because not only is the recipe a classic Italian one, but also because soups are a great way of feeding a crowd, and they’re so easy to make!

This soup is a brothy soup with pasta and beans in it, and because you’re using canned beans, it’s a really nice and inexpensive dish to make.  I know my family always like soups on the hearty side – so I like topping soups with an egg (or you one could certainly add a little extra pasta) and serve it with good crusty bread. From the book “This is a budget friendly meal that as Dad would say “sticks to your ribs”.”

Craving more family meals? You can view the Recipe Index of over 700 recipes, this turkey meatloaf with roasted vegetables, or this cheesy chicken enchilada casserole I posted last week which is family friendly and serves a crowd.

Liz’s recent ebook is just one in a whole series featuring ethnic recipes passed down over the generations, and has photography done by her photographer Raul, who you may remember from the retreat I co-hosted with Liz this past April. Upcoming editions of her ebook include The Ultimate Lebanese Sunday Dinner, The Ultimate Mexican Sunday Dinner, The Ultimate Jewish Shabbat Dinner and more. I know Liz will have much continued success with her ebooks.

Other recipes you might enjoy:

• 5 Ingredient Baked Chicken Parmesan Pasta
• Easy Healthy Lunch Recipe – Pepperoni Pasta Salad in a Jar
• Sweet and Smokey Sausage Pasta with Kale and Peppers

Yield: 6-10

Pasta E Fagiole Soup

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Great for a family meal, this pasta e fagiole soup is a super easy and inexpensive dish to make.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 12 cups water (or chicken stock, or combination of both)
• 1 (15 oz) can of red beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can of white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 pound ditalini or elbow pasta, cooked according to package instructions
• Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve with crusty bread

Instructions

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large soup pot and saute onion, garlic and spices until tender, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and stir well. Reduce heat to low and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the water or chicken stock and beans to the pot bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir in cooked pasta before serving. Garnish with parmesan cheese before serving. Serve with crusty bread for dunking.

Notes

This recipe can be made gluten free by substituting gluten free noodles (make sure your other ingredients are gluten free as well!) You can also use vegetable stock to make this a vegetarian dish.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 382Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 458mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 10gSugar: 4gProtein: 16g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.