Creamy Pasta Fagioli Soup with Kale
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Pasta fagioli (pasta and bean) soup is good for the soul, plain and simple. Thick with white cannellini beans, Tuscan kale, tomatoes, and a touch of cream, this hearty soup is a pantry dinner recipe that you can cook quickly in a pressure cooker or on the stovetop in 30 minutes.
This is a creamy version of pasta e fagioli, inspired by the version I loved as a kid, and just as a comforting as a bowl of homemade tomato soup.
Pasta fagioli tops my list of soup recipes, and I love it because if feels like magic to pull dinner out of the pantry. We always called this humble white bean soup “pasta fazool” when I was growing up, but my mom definitely did not put cream or kale in it!
A traditionally family-style Italian dish, pasta e fagioli — which literally translates to pasta and beans — satisfies on many levels. It’s a world away from something you’d order at Olive Garden.
Minestrone versus pasta fagioli
Unlike a dish like minestrone soup, authentic pasta e fagioli isn’t a vegetable soup, per se. It’s traditionally made with just beans, tomatoes, broth and sometimes pork for extra flavor.
Ingredient overview
- Canned or home-cooked cannellini beans
- Dried soup pasta: Ditalini, tiny shells, elbows.
- Parmesan cheese (plus a rind if you have one).
- Sun-dried tomatoes: Try to use moist dry-packed sun dried tomatoes in this recipe if you can. If you only have oil-packed ones, just be sure to drain and pat them dry.
- Tuscan kale, which is the same kale variously labeled as Lacinato, Cavalo Nero and Dinosaur kale, is a dark green variety that has crinkled leaves and a rich midnight green color. You can use any type you like.
- Garlic, onion and herbs.
Cooking pasta fagioli in a pressure cooker
The pasta, beans and seasonings come together deliciously — and quickly! — right on the stovetop, and even faster in a pressure cooker.
If you have an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker you can make this recipe in minutes, leaving your hands free to make a salad to go with, or to just give you time to relax and get your bowl and spoon ready to dig in.
This is the electric pressure cooker I just bought and totally obsessed with right now. No pressure cooker? No worries — check the recipe notes below for easy directions to make this recipe on the stovetop in about half an hour.
Recipe tips
- Use your favorite small pasta shape, such as ditalini, shells or elbows. You might be skeptical about throwing uncooked dry pasta in the pot along with everything else. I was too at first, but under high pressure or just boiling on the stove, the starchy pasta, seasonings, and beans create a tasty, thickened liquid base for the soup.
- The soup has a really lovely thick texture all on its own, so feel free to skip the optional splash of heavy cream at the end (but I suggest you go for it!!)
- To make this soup have a creamy texture without using dairy: Scoop out and puree about a cup or so of the soup with a hand blender and stir back in, or blend for a few seconds right in the pot.
- If you happen to have a parmesan rind on hand, go ahead and toss it in the pot. Parmesan rinds in soup dissolve and melt slightly, adding flavor and depth. Just fish it out and discard when finished cooking.
Creamy Pasta Fagioli Soup with Kale
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 cup (110 g) dry-packed sun dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup (60 g) uncooked dried soup pasta, such as mini shells, ditalini or elbows
- 2 15-ounce cans (950 g) cannellini beans, (including their liquid)
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or rosemary
- ½ teaspoon crushed red chili pepper
- 5 cups (1250 ml) vegetable broth, chicken broth, or water
- Kosher salt
- 1 Parmesan cheese rind, optional
- 1 bunch Tuscan or curly kale, stemmed and chopped
- ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream, optional
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Stovetop Directions:
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, stirring frequently. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes, pasta, beans, thyme, red pepper and broth or water. Add 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes, until the pasta is al dente.
- Stir in the kale and cream if using. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.
Pressure cooker instructions
- Press the “sauté” button on an electric pressure cooker and preheat on high heat. Once the insert is hot, add the olive oil and onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened.
- Add the garlic, tomatoes, pasta, beans, thyme, chili, broth, the cheese rind, and 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Stir together.
- Stop the saute function. Close and secure the lid of the pressure cooker and cook on high for 7 minutes, with a quick release when it's finished.
- Stir in the kale (it will wilt) and heavy cream if using. Taste and season with more salt if you like.
To serve
- Serve in bowls, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese to taste.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Tip: For an easy way to add creamy texture without using dairy, remove and puree about a cup or so of the soup with a hand blender and stir back in, or blend for a few seconds right in the pot.
- Storing and reheating the soup: The soup keeps in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, but it may thicken a bit in the fridge. Add a bit more water or broth when preparing leftovers. Freeze fully cooled portions of the soup in containers. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave with extra broth or water to loosen the texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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This was great! I’m usually suspicious of the recipes that first pop up when I Google something like “bean soup” but I’m so glad I found this one. Well balanced, flavorful, and quick. A bit salty, and I should have added smaller amounts at a time.
A few tweaks I made- I blended some of the beans instead of the cream as suggested and that worked well to lighten it up. I used a handful of fresh spinach instead of the kale. And mixed Italian seasoning instead of thyme.
Your tweaks sound great! Blending beans is a perfect way to thicken and smooth the texture without having to add cream. Thank you for sharing Monica.
Hi ! my family loves this soup . made it the first time as written. Then made some adjustments, added three diced carrots, omitted the red chilli pepper. diced the sundried tomatoes . Subbed spinach for kale , no one cared for the kale.
Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing, Rob
Just so you know, the instructions say to add the pasta with the beans, then cook for 15 minutes, but then say to add the pasta after that and cook for 12 minutes. I added the pasta along with everything else, and I’m hoping it’ll still be delicious!
Thanks for letting me know! Just fixed that typo.
this is beaming me back to the past so very many years ago but what a memory of my life, the people I loved and still are in my heart, this was a lunch soup eaten with some meat and salad later on and a glass of red wine. many thanks.💓☕
Lovely <3
Just made this, and it’s really, really good! The parmesan rind is key for adding more flavor. I used half and half instead of cream because that’s what I had, and it turned out great. I also threw in a carrot for added veggies and it cooked perfectly right along with the rest of the ingredients. This is a keeper!
Hi Rachel – So glad this turned out great for you! And nothing wrong with more veggies, right?
Karen, I’ve made this 3 times this week. My family is crazy about it, including my 9 year old grandson. Fabulous recipe.
Karen, this is a delicious soup! Thanks for a great IP recipe!!
Thanks Connie – so happy you enjoyed it!