This homemade pasta fagioli soup with Italian sausage is what I make when dinner needs to feel cozy, but I refuse to babysit a pot all night.
The ditalini pasta, cannellini beans, and sausage make it hearty enough that no one asks where the main course is.
I once made this after a cold grocery run, and the pasta-and-beans soup tasted way more planned than it was.
Pasta Fagioli with Italian Sausage
EQUIPMENT (PAID LINKS)
- Large soup pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups uncooked ditalini pasta
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage mild or hot
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ cups diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth plus more if needed
- 30 ounces tomato sauce
- 15 ounces cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 15 ounces dark kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese for serving
- Fresh chopped parsley for serving
Instructions
- Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the ditalini pasta and cook until just al dente, or about 1 minute less than the package directions. Drain the pasta and set it aside.1 ½ cups uncooked ditalini pasta
- Brown the Sausage: Place a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the Italian sausage and cook until no longer pink, breaking it into bite-size pieces with a wooden spoon. Transfer the cooked sausage to a paper towel-lined plate and set it aside.1 pound ground Italian sausage
- Sauté the Vegetables: Add the olive oil to the same pot. Stir in the diced onion, carrots, and celery, then cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 ½ cups diced yellow onion, 1 cup diced carrots, 1 cup diced celery, 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- Build the Soup: Pour in the chicken broth, tomato sauce, cannellini beans, kidney beans, diced tomatoes with their juices, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Stir everything together and bring the soup to a boil.4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 30 ounces tomato sauce, 15 ounces cannellini beans, 15 ounces dark kidney beans, 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Simmer the Soup: Reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the cooked sausage and drained pasta back into the pot. Let the soup simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the flavors come together and the pasta finishes cooking in the broth.
- Adjust the Texture: If the soup gets too thick, stir in a little more chicken broth until it reaches the texture you like. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.
- Serve: Ladle the Pasta Fagioli with Italian Sausage into bowls. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley. Serve warm with crusty bread.Fresh chopped parsley, ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Pasta Fagioli with Italian Sausage That Doesn’t Need Your Whole Afternoon
This is one of those soups that acts like you worked harder than you did. Let it have its little performance.
Don’t Overcook the Pasta
Cook the ditalini just until al dente, or even a minute less than the package says. It keeps cooking once it hits the hot soup, and mushy pasta is how a cozy dinner becomes cafeteria trauma.
Keep Extra Broth Nearby
Pasta and beans both love to soak up liquid, especially after the soup sits for a while. If the pot starts looking more like stew than soup, add a splash of chicken broth and pretend that was always the plan.
Use Mild or Hot Sausage
Mild Italian sausage keeps things family-friendly, while hot Italian sausage gives the soup a little attitude. A mix of both is usually the sweet spot, because apparently compromise can taste good when sausage is involved.
Don’t Drain the Diced Tomatoes
Use the diced tomatoes with their juices. That liquid adds flavor and helps build the broth, so dumping it out is basically throwing away free tomato drama.
Make It Thicker Without Trying Too Hard
For a thicker soup, mash some of the cannellini beans against the side of the pot before simmering. It gives the broth more body without needing cream, flour, or any other unnecessary kitchen paperwork.
Swap the Beans If Needed
Cannellini beans are creamy and classic here, but great northern beans or navy beans work too. Kidney beans add color and texture, but if your pantry has other plans, this soup is not precious enough to complain.
Add Greens at the End
Spinach, kale, or chopped escarole can go in during the last few minutes of cooking. They wilt fast, make the soup feel a little more virtuous, and let everyone pretend the Parmesan on top doesn’t count.
Make It Ahead the Smart Way
If you’re making this for later, keep the pasta separate and stir it in when reheating. Otherwise, the pasta will keep drinking broth in the fridge like it’s training for a marathon.
Freeze It Without the Pasta
The soup base freezes well, but pasta gets weird after thawing. Freeze the broth, sausage, beans, and vegetables, then add freshly cooked ditalini when you reheat it. Future you deserves better than freezer pasta sludge.
Don’t Skip the Parmesan
A little grated Parmesan on top brings the whole bowl together. Fresh parsley helps too, but Parmesan is the part that makes it taste finished instead of “I opened several cans and hoped for the best.”
