What is the difference between pasta fa*gioli and pasta Fazool?

Both mean 'pasta with beans,' and are a kind of rustic hearty soup. The difference is simply that it is called Pasta Fazool in the USA and Pasta fa*gioli everywhere else . Can I cook the lentils in the soup? If you cook lentils in anything acidic (like tomatoes, vinegar, lemon or wine), they take longer to soften.

What is pasta e fa*gioli soup made of?

Pasta e fa*gioli, sometimes shortened to pasta fa*gioli (or pasta fazool if you're a Sopranos fan), is a classic Italian soup. Its name literally translates to “pasta and beans,” and it consists of tiny pasta, creamy beans, and tender vegetables in a fragrant tomato broth .

What does fa*gioli mean in Italian?

Beans! In Italian, beans are called fa*gioli for soup's sake . My mother loves bean soups and their cousin minestrone – vegetable soups that can also contain beans.

Pasta e fa*gioli Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Bacon

by: QueenOfGreen

January15,2010

4.5

8 Ratings

Serves 2

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

I swear, when I came home from a study abroad in Rome, I ate this so much my friends began to call it Pasta Fa-Julie. (Yes, that's my name! Close enough anyway. The secret's out!) I modified this one from Gourmet magazine. —QueenOfGreen

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients

2 slices bacon, chopped
¹/₂ onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small stalk celery
1 can (14 oz?) chicken broth
1 can (16 oz?) cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (16 oz?) whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
¹/₂ teaspoondried oregano
¹/₂ cupdittalini
2 tablespoonsfresh parsley, minced
grated Parmesan

Directions

In a heavy saucepan cook bacon over moderate heat, stirring until crisp. Add onion and garlic, stirring until onion is soft and transparent. Add celery. Add broth and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.
In a bowl mash 1/3 of the beans, then stir them into the onion mixture along with the remaining whole beans, tomatoes, and oregano. Simmer the soup, covered for 15 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Then remove from heat and let stand, still covered, for 5 minutes.
Stir in parsley and top with (lots of!) Parmesan. Feast.

Tags:

Pasta
Italian
Bacon
Bean
Celery
Oregano
Parsley
Entree

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62 Reviews

kiersten February 25, 2021

I just want to say that I love this soup and make it a few times a month for my family. I like that the recipe is loose because it lets me add a little bit more here or there and adjust to my tastes. It’s delicious and easy. Thank you for sharing it!

bethL December 29, 2015

Wow just made this and really wish the amounts were more specific, like juliunruly said. I started to put in my can of tomatoes. I I put about 3/4 of the can(24oz), which was clearly way too much. The whole thing seems a bit of a disaster. It's cooking on the stove now, I added more of everything again, to hopefully even it out. I'm not sure it will, for the time being it just tastes like tomato sauce. I was so hopeful. Can you please be more specific so that I can try it again? My son was so excited, but for now, there's no way he'll eat it. Thanks.

QueenOfGreen December 29, 2015

The canned volumes are intentionally not exact as it seems every time I use a different brand or move to a new country the size changes slightly. The listed ounces sizes are approximate so that the cook with know to use something of about the right size (14-16 ounces instead of a double-sized 28-32 ounce can). I'm so sorry you're having difficulties.

kissy28c December 29, 2015

I found that adding a whole box of chicken broth (32 oz) is better than a can, 4 pieces of bacon (applewood smoked), and 3 big stalks of celery even out this recipe.