Meatball Pasta e Fagioli is the perfectly delicious feed-your-family-on-a-budget, in 35 minutes and in one-pot kind of meal. Pasta e Fagioli is an Italian soup that translates to “pasta and beans” with a tomato based broth and bite-size meatballs this soup is a guaranteed show stopper. Leftovers make the best next-day lunch too!
Pasta e Fagioli is pure comfort. The familiar flavors come together like a warm hug, hearty enough for dinner, simple enough for lunch. Definitely the perfect soup for any day of the week.
Pasta e Fagioli “Pasta & Beans”
Ditalini pasta, otherwise known as “soup” pasta is a very small, short pasta that doesn’t take over the soup. If you have a hard time finding it in the grocery store, I have made this with elbow macaroni too and it works just as well.
Pasta e Fagioli uses two different kinds of beans. I used Cannellini and red kidney beans. You can also substitute Cannellini with Great Northern Beans, both are white kidney shaped beans.
Make sure to drain and to gently rinse the beans under cold water before putting them in the soup.
Meatballs
The traditional Pasta e Fagioli has ground beef or sausage. I thought it would be fun to add meatballs instead. I used bite-size frozen already cooked meatballs from the grocery store, making super easy. These are my family’s favorite (not a sponsorship).
If you want to use your own homemade meatballs, you may want to pop them in the freezer ahead of time just so they are cold enough to hold their shape as they warm up in the hot soup, or add them in last if they are freshly made. Here is a recipe for my homemade beef meatballs – also one of my family’s favorite.
Meatball Pasta e Fagioli
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP Olive Oil
- 1 cup Diced Onion About 1 medium onion
- 1 cup Diced Carrots
- 1 cup Diced Celery
- 1 TBSP Minced Garlic
- 2 tsp Salt Divided (+ more to taste)
- 15.5 oz can Cannellini Beans drained and rinsed
- 15.5 oz can Red Kidney Beans drained and rinsed
- 28 oz can Crushed Tomatoes
- 4 cups Unsalted Vegetable (or Chicken) Stock
- 1 cup Uncooked Ditalini Pasta substitute with elbow macaroni
- 15-20 Frozen (fully cooked) bite-size meatballs
- Water
Instructions
- Over medium-low heat, add your olive oil, diced onion, diced carrots, diced celery, garlic and 1 tsp of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion, carrots, and celery are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add in your beans (rinsed and drained), crushed tomatoes, stock, and the remaining 1 tsp of salt. Cook over medium heat for approx 10 minutes. Bring it up to a boil.
- Add in your pasta and frozen meatballs, cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the pasta is cooked and the meatballs are hot all the way through. Taste and season with salt and pepper. If it seems dull, add another pinch of salt to help bring out the flavors of the dish.
Other weeknight soups
The Best Broccoli and Cheese Soup
Lasagna Soup
Spicy Kale and Sausage Soup
Creamy Loaded “Baked” Potato Soup
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