30-Minute Pasta and Kidney Bean Soup (Pasta Fazool) Recipe

By
J. Kenji López-Alt
Kenji Lopez Alt
J. Kenji López-Alt
Culinary Consultant
Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.
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Updated Sep. 11, 2020
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J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

Recipe Details

30-Minute Pasta and Kidney Bean Soup (Pasta Fazool) Recipe

Active 20 mins
Total 30 mins
Serves 4 servings
Makes 2 quarts

Ingredients

  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes packed in juice

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 3 ounces pancetta or bacon, finely chopped (optional)

  • 1 medium onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)

  • 6 cloves garlic, minced on a microplane grater

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

  • 1 quart homemade or low-sodium canned chicken broth

  • 2 (15 ounce) cans dark kidney beans

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1 cup small pasta such as shells, ditali, or elbows

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

  1. Pour the tomatoes into a medium bowl and using hands, squeeze each tomato through your fingers to break it up into small pieces (be careful, they can squirt). Set aside.

  2. Heat olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until butter is melted. If using pancetta, add to pan and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add onion, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring constantly until fragrant and softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juice, chicken broth, kidney beans, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce to a bare simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, adding pasta to soup for the last 5 to 10 minutes (depending on the package directions). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaves, stir in parsley and serve, drizzling each serving with extra-virgin olive oil at the table.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
468 Calories
13g Fat
69g Carbs
24g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 468
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 17%
Saturated Fat 3g 17%
Cholesterol 8mg 3%
Sodium 1196mg 52%
Total Carbohydrate 69g 25%
Dietary Fiber 14g 49%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 24g
Vitamin C 35mg 177%
Calcium 110mg 8%
Iron 6mg 31%
Potassium 1402mg 30%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)