Pasta e Fagioli with Sweet Sausage
Brimming with hearty beans and robust sausage, this pasta e fagioli with sweet sausage is the perfect soup to cook on a chilly day, and the perfect soup to warm up to.
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Pasta e fagioli doesn’t typically contain sausage, but it certainly does here. Don’t get me wrong: I enjoy pasta e fagioli sans sausage, but the first time I ate it with some salty pork goodness, I fell in love—as much as I could with a bowl of soup.
The sausage gives this soup added “oomph,” and it’s the perfect meal to enjoy as the weather cools down. Maybe it’s already cold where you are, and soup feels imperative to make. Or perhaps you’re reading this from Brisbane, where it’s spring. In that case, bookmark it for your fall menu if it’s too hot to cook now.
A warm bowl of soup is always comforting, whether it’s this pasta e fagioli or this lentil soup. So, let’s gather those ingredients and make something hearty and satisfying.
Why You’ll Love This Pasta e Fagioli with Sweet Sausage
- Everything cooks in one pot: One pot = easy cleanup.
- It’s hearty and filling: No broth-heavy soup here. This one is loaded with beans, pasta, and sausage and backed by a chorus of nutritious veggies.
- It tastes even better leftover: This soup becomes even more delicious as it sits and the flavors meld together.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: EVOO helps form the luscious base for this hearty soup.
- Sweet Italian Ground Sausage: You can also use spicy Italian sausage for more kick.
- Yellow Onion: Any onion will work if you don’t have yellow.
- Celery: This is essential as part of the base.
- Carrot: Like celery, carrots are integral to many soup recipes.
- Fresh Garlic: We’ll be using fresh garlic along with garlic powder.
- Tomato Paste: This adds body and depth of flavor to the soup.
- Garlic Powder: This adds a stronger garlic flavor than fresh garlic alone.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Use as much or as little as you like for that heat factor.
- Diced Tomatoes: You can also crush whole tomatoes if you don’t have diced.
- Chicken Stock: Chicken broth is fine, too. You can also use vegetable stock or broth.
- Cannellini Beans: Also known as white kidney beans. You can substitute with great northern beans.
- Navy Beans: These little beans add a creamy texture to the soup, so I don’t recommend a substitute.
- Ditalini Pasta: Any short pasta works, including farfalline and small shells.
- Fresh Baby Spinach: You can use kale, if you prefer.
- Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley: You can also add some chopped fresh rosemary.
- Pecorino Romano Cheese: You can use any Parmesan you like.
See the recipe card below for more information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make This Pasta e Fagioli with Sweet Sausage
- Cook the sausage: Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the ground sausage and cook it until it’s no longer pink. Transfer the sausage to a plate.
- Cook the veggies: Add the onion, celery, carrot and fresh garlic and cook until soft. Add the tomato paste and cook it for 1 minute.
- Add the diced tomatoes: Stir in the garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and diced tomatoes and gently mash the tomatoes with a potato masher until they soften and release their juices.
- Pour in the chicken stock: Add the stock and beans and bring the pot to a boil. Stir the sausage back in along with the pasta. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is fully cooked.
- Stir in the spinach: Let it wilt, then add the parsley. Top each bowl of soup with the Pecorino Romano.
Pro Tips
Keep extra stock on hand for leftovers: Because the pasta and beans absorb a lot of liquid as the soup sits, you may want to add more stock if you’re reheating it. You could also replenish it with some chicken broth, which is easily found in small cans.
Use pre-ground sausage: It’s easier to add pre-ground sausage to the soup, but you could also use links. Just remove the casings and break the sausage apart with a wooden spoon or your hands.
Suggestions for Variations and Substitutions
- If you love heat, swap the sweet sausage for hot Italian sausage.
- Replace the spinach with another leafy green like kale, escarole, or Swiss chard.
- Use just about any white beans you like. Great northern beans and butter beans are two good options.
- Add other fresh herbs like basil and rosemary.
Recipe FAQs
Essentially yes, minus the addition of the sausage. With that said, there is at least one region in Italy that includes pancetta, so adding meat isn’t necessarily inauthentic. It’s also worth noting that there are several versions of pasta e fagioli.
Yes! Simply omit the sausage and use vegetable stock or broth.
Storage
Refrigerator
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezer
Store in the freezer in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Reheat
If reheating from frozen, thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating it in a pot on the stove on low. You can also microwave it, but the stove method heats soup more evenly.
More Soup Recipes
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Pasta e Fagioli with Sweet Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces sweet Italian sausage ground
- ½ yellow onion peeled and chopped (Note 1)
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 1 carrot peeled and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt divided (¼ teaspoon + ¼ teaspoon)
- Black pepper freshly ground
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste
- 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes with liquid
- 4 cups chicken stock (Note 2)
- 1 15 ounce can Cannellini beans with liquid (Note 3)
- 1 15 ounce can navy beans with liquid
- ¾ cup ditalini or other short pasta
- 2 cups baby spinach fresh, tightly packed (Note 4)
- Italian flat-leaf parsley handful, minced
- Pecorino Romano cheese or grated Parmesan, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other pot over medium heat. Add the ground sausage and cook it until it’s no longer visibly pink but still not fully cooked through. If it sticks together, break it up with a wooden spoon. Transfer the sausage to a plate.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; 8 ounces sweet Italian sausage, ground
- Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, salt, and pepper to the pot and cook everything until it softens nicely. Add the tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently.½ yellow onion, peeled and diced; 2 celery stalks, diced; 1 carrot, peeled and diced; 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced; ¼ teaspoon kosher salt; freshly ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- Stir in the garlic powder, red pepper flakes, diced tomatoes, and the other ¼ teaspoon salt. Use a potato masher to gently mash the tomatoes into the pot, and cook them until they develop a stew-like consistency, about 5 to 7 minutes.¼ teaspoon garlic powder; ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, with liquid; ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Pour in the chicken stock and beans and bring the pot to a boil. Return the sausage to the pot and add the pasta; reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the pasta until al dente, about 10 minutes. The sausage will finish cooking during this time.4 cups chicken stock; 1 15 ounce can Cannellini beans, with liquid; 1 15 ounce can navy beans, with liquid; ¾ cup ditalini
- Just before the pasta is fully cooked, stir in the spinach to wilt it. Add the parsley at the last minute. Taste for salt. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with Pecorino. Enjoy!2 cups baby spinach, fresh, tightly packed; Italian flat-leaf parsley, handful; Pecorino Romano cheese
