Sausage pasta fazool is an Italian-American version of the classic Italian soup we know and love. Made with the usual suspects-pasta, beans, and vegetables-this version contains sweet Italian sausage and navy beans along with the more traditional (in the U.S.) cannellini beans. It's easy, comforting, and cooks in about 25 minutes.
For more sausage recipes, try my pasta bolognese, sausage and peppers, or Italian sausage and potatoes.
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Quick Look: Sausage Pasta Fazool
⏱️ Prep Time: 20 minutes
🍳 Cook Time: 25 minutes
🕒 Total Time: 45 minutes
👥 Servings: 4-6
📊 Calories: ~405 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
🔥 Cook Method: Stovetop-based
👩🍳 Main Ingredients: Pasta, beans, sausage
⭐ Difficulty: Easy-Everything, including the sausage and pasta, cooks in one pot
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Why You'll Love Sausage Pasta Fazool
Everything cooks in one pot: One pot = easy cleanup.
Creamy without the cream: This soup contains cannellini and the equally creamy yet slightly different-textured navy beans. They're also partially puréed for this soup!
Hearty and filling: No broth-heavy soup here. This one is loaded with beans, pasta, and sausage and backed by a chorus of veggies. The sausage, especially, gives it heft in terms of both flavor and texture.
Tastes even better leftover: This soup becomes even more delicious as it sits and the flavors meld together.
What is pasta "fazool"?
"Pasta fazool" is simply the Italian-American pronunciation of "pasta e fagioli." Think The Sopranos or Dean Martin-"When the stars make you drool just like pasta fazool that's amore." Pasta e fagioli literally means "pasta" and "beans" in Italian, and incorporates...you guessed it...pasta and beans, along with vegetables, stock, and more.
Pasta fazool doesn't necessarily contain sausage, but this sausage pasta fazool certainly does. Don't get me wrong: I enjoy this classic Italian soup sans pork, but the first time I ate it with sausage was love at first bite.
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 you don't feel like making it just yet.
For more soup recipes, try this brown lentil soup, red lentil soup, Tuscan onion soup, or egg and zucchini soup.
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Key Ingredients
See the recipe card for full ingredient and quantity information.
- Sweet Italian Ground Sausage: This is the star here!
- Tomato Paste: This adds body and depth of flavor to the soup.
- Chicken Stock: Don't use water when you can use stock for more body and flavor.
- Navy Beans: These little beans add a creamy texture to the soup, which I love.
- Fresh Baby Spinach: For some nutritious greens.
- Pecorino Romano Cheese: For a sharp, salty finish.
Variations & 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.
➢Replace the onion, celery, and carrot with 1 and ½ cups mirepoix.
➢Add other fresh herbs, like basil and rosemary, to the soup.
➢Make this sausage pasta fazool vegetarian by omitting the sausage and replacing the chicken stock with vegetable stock.
➢Use broth if you don't have stock.
➢I don't recommend using all water for the liquid as the soup won't be as flavorful nor have the same body, but you could use an equal ratio of stock to water, or 3 cups of stock and 1 cup of water.
➢Cook up a little prosciutto along with the sausage.
How to Make Sausage Pasta Fazool
Step 1: Brown the sausage until it's no longer visibly pink but still not fully cooked, 4-5 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside.
Step 2: Cook the onion, celery, and carrot until softened. Add the garlic halfway through, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds.
Step 3: Add the garlic powder, red pepper flakes, diced tomatoes, and bay leaf. Cook the tomatoes for at least 2 minutes, longer if they're tough.
Step 4: Pour in chicken stock and beans, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Purée some of the beans (not all) to thicken the soup.
Step 5: Return the sausage to the pot along with the pasta, and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the pasta is al dente and the sausage is fully cooked through.
Step 6: Add the spinach to wilt. Taste for salt, then serve. Finish with the parsley and grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese.
Pro Tips
➢Keep extra stock on hand for leftovers: Because the pasta and beans will absorb some of the 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.
➢Brown the sausage well: Make sure it begins to brown before you remove it from the pot. This will give the meat more flavor.
➢Purée some of the beans: This creates a creamier soup, without any cream!
➢Cook the pasta in the soup: The starch gives the soup more body and an even more creamy texture.
Sausage Pasta Fazool FAQs
Authentic pasta e fagioli may be up for debate, as it varies by region, but sausage doesn't really have a place in the "original" version of this dish. However, pancetta is a common meat addition to this soup in Italy. Also, borlotti beans, not cannellini or navy, are typically used for this soup in Italy.
The best pasta shapes are small, sturdy ones because they complement the other small, sturdy ingredients like the beans and sausage. Ditalini, farfallini, or small shells are all good options.
You do in this recipe. Some canned beans contain a slimy liquid, and stirring that directly into the broth is unappealing. But don't worry about loss of starch, as this soup gets its thicker, creamy texture from a quick pulse of the beans and from the pasta, which cooks directly in the soup.
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Store for up to 3 months.
Reheat: If reheating from frozen, thaw in the fridge first. Reheat in a pot over low heat or in the microwave.
Related Recipes
If you love this recipe, please take a moment to review it below. You could also tag me on Instagram (@forcarbssake) with a picture of your finished dish!
Sausage Pasta Fazool (Pasta e Fagioli)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces sweet Italian sausage ground
- ½ yellow onion peeled and diced
- 2 celery ribs diced
- 1 carrot peeled and diced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt divided (¼ teaspoon + ¼ teaspoon) (Note 1)
- Ground black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with liquid (Note 2)
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 14.5-ounce can cannellini beans drained and rinsed (Note 3)
- 1 14.5-ounce can navy beans drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup ditalini or other short pasta
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach tightly packed
- Handful Italian flat-leaf parsley minced
- Grated Pecorino Romano cheese
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, 4-5 minutes. If it sticks together, break it up with a wooden spoon. Transfer the sausage to a plate.
- Add the onion, celery, carrot, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper to the pot and cook everything until it softens nicely. Add the garlic during the last minute of cooking. Add the tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add the garlic powder and red pepper flakes, and stir them quickly into the pot to help them bloom. Add the diced tomatoes, bay leaf, and the other ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook the diced tomatoes for about 2 minutes to help them soften.
- Pour in the chicken stock and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, then use an immersion blender to blend some of the beans. You can also remove about 2 cups of the soup, pour them into a blender, and pulse until smooth before returning it to the pot.
- Return the sausage to the pot and add the pasta; simmer the pasta, uncovered, until al dente, about 10 minutes. The sausage will finish cooking during this time.
- Just before the pasta is fully cooked, stir in the spinach to wilt it. Taste for salt. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the minced parsley and Pecorino. Enjoy!
Notes
- Ensure you don't cover the pot while the soup cooks, which will help it thicken.
Nutrition
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Love it with the sausage! It was so hearty and flavorful, and it warmed me right through. So comforting.