Skip to main content
Epicurious
Bon Appétit

Pasta e Fagioli

By Carla Lalli Music

5.0

(1)

Image may contain Plant Food Produce Vegetable Bean Lentil and Bowl
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Carla Lalli Music

The key to a soup with fully developed savory flavor starts with the soffritto—a mix of aromatic vegetables that are slowly cooked in the first stage of cooking. Take your time sweating down the vegetables until they are completely softened before letting them take on any color. You’ll be surprised by how much volume they lose and how much liquid they release and by how much unquantifiable richness they lend to the final dish, which is nothing more than a combination of humble ingredients. 

Reprinted With Permission From Where Cooking Begins. By Carla Lalli Music, published by Clarkson Potter, March 2019

What you’ll need

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

Read More
Green Pasta e Fagioli
This riff on the Italian classic comfort food gets its verdant color from kale two ways: blended into the base, and wilted among the pasts and white beans.
Beans and Greens With Halloumi Cheese Crumbles
Bathe greens and chickpeas in a garlicky, tomato-enhanced broth. Stretch a block of Halloumi by grating and toasting it into a topping for the soup.
Crispy Gnocchi Caprese
The summer salad stalwart gets a makeover.
Radicchio Jam Rigatoni
Cooking down radicchio with vinegar and sugar until jammy is an eye-opening approach that reveals a world of options beyond salad.
Summer Vegetable Soup With Pistou
Celebrate the best of the season—zucchini, tomatoes, corn, and more—all in one pot.
Black Bean Bolognese
Rich and funky black bean garlic sauce, a pantry favorite in Chinese cuisine, provides depth and flavor to this weeknight riff on ragù Bolognese.
Weeknight Pumpkin Chili
A can of pumpkin purée adds richness, body, and an autumnal hue to this speedy chili, letting the flavors of the spices, aromatics, and ground beef shine.
Sheet-Pan Chicken Souvlaki
Tender, juicy chicken skewers are possible in the oven—especially when roasted alongside spiced chickpeas and finished with fresh tomatoes and salty feta.