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Turning a slow cooked classic into a weeknight dinner for the family with this Instant Pot Pasta e Fagioli. A mix of wintry vegetables, tomatoes, parmesan, herbs, pasta, and beans, all simmered together in the instant pot to create a healthy and warming bowl of soup. Serve with a good crusty bread and extra parmesan. Delicious.
This has certainly been the year of soup, and I’ve loved every last bowl. A few years ago the only soups on my radar were classic chicken noodle, ramen, and broccoli cheddar. And I never swayed far from these classics. I still love these soups, but there’s always room for trying something new. And this has been that year, so many new soup recipes on HBH.
I’ve shared fresh takes on the classic chicken noodle. a creamy coconut lentil soup, and an extra cozy French shallot soup (my favorite). All have been so good!
And today? Today it’s all about the classic Italian soup, Pasta e Fagioli, which means pasta and beans. I’ve recently been seeing Pasta e Fagioli everywhere, from restaurant menus, to Instagram, to Pinterest. It’s seems to be the trending soup. I get it, it’s delicious! Full of vegetables, pasta, and topped with parmesan, nothing here not to love.
I knew I really wanted to share some simple, warming, but also semi healthy, recipes with you guys this week. Recipes that would be perfect to serve up one of these nights before the the Christmas festivities begin. So I decided I’d make Pasta e Fagioli. But instead of making it the traditional way, I’d speed the process up in the Instant Pot.
PS. I have an Instant Pot giveaway happening on Instagram right now.
The key to a really good Pasta e Fagioli is all in the vegetable base, or sofrito as it’s more professionally referred to. The sofrito is cooked down to create a flavorful soup. I used a mix of onions, carrots, and garlic, but you could also include celery for additional flavor.
In addition to the veggies, I flavored my soup with a little bacon. It’s traditional to use a ham hock, but I don’t normally just have a ham hock lying around. Thankfully, a little chopped bacon does the trick and adds the perfect amount of rich flavor. Of course, if you’d like to keep this recipe vegetarian, that’s totally fine too! I would recommend sautéing some mushrooms to add a touch more flavor.
Once you’ve cooked the bacon and the vegetables, you’ll add some canned tomatoes, lots of winter greens, herbs, spices, a parmesan rind (very important), and a little broth. Seal the instant pot and cook for 10 minutes. Release the steam, add some pasta and beans and you’re done.
So simple.
Now, because I know some of you may ask, I do prefer to cook my pasta separately. I know it’s an extra step, but I always find cooking the pasta inside the instant pot to be a bit more of a pain. Plus it’s so easy to boil up pasta on the stove.
Also, the parmesan rind. This is very important, I’ve mentioned this before, but a parmesan rind (the end piece to a wedge of parmesan) can add so much flavor to sauces and soups. I always save mine and throw them in the freezer to use as needed. It’s a great and simple way to add a lot of flavor. Especially if you’re omitting the bacon from the recipe.
Perfect to make and enjoy during these days leading up to Christmas, when you need a good meal, but you need something simple, quick, and healthy too. I know a lot of you may have family home for Christmas, or may just need something easy for dinner. Over here we’re slowly welcoming home family members by the day. So recipes like this soup are a go-to for me, both this week and next.
Major bonus? Almost all of these ingredients are pantry staples that I usually have on hand at all times. You see? This soup is truly a life saver during these busy, bitter cold December days.
I love that I can simply throw everything into the instant pot (also included directions for the slow cooker). Then boil some pasta, and in less than an hour dinner is ready. Just be sure to serve with crusty bread, or maybe even these 3 cheese everything spice grilled cheese. Oh, and be sure to add a little extra parmesan!
If you make this pasta e Fagioli, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Instant Pot Pasta e Fagioli
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1412 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2-3 slices thick cut bacon, chopped (optional)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 carrots, finely chopped
- 2 celery, finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 3-4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 can (15 ounce) diced tomatoes
- 1 large bunch collard greens or kale, chopped
- 1 parmesan rind, plus grated parmesan, for serving
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 1 can (14 ounce) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Instructions
Instant Pot
- 1. Set Instant Pot to sauté. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. 2. To the instant post, add the olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook an additional 8-10 minutes, until the veggies have cooked down. Turn the instant pot off. 3. Add in the 3 cups broth, the tomatoes, greens, parmesan rind, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary. Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cover and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to packaged directions, until al dente. Drain.5. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick release function. Remove the parmesan rind, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary, and discard. Stir in the beans and half the pasta, adding more pasta to each bowl, if desired. If desired, add the remaining broth to thin the soup. 6. Divide the soup among bowls and top with parmesan. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker
- 1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes.2. To the skillet, add the olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook an additional 8-10 minutes, until the veggies have cooked down. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to the bowl of your slow cooker.3. To the slow cooker, add 3 cups broth, the tomatoes, greens, parmesan rind, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.4. Just before serving, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to packaged directions, until al dente. Drain.5. Once done cooking, remove the parmesan rind, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary, and discard. Stir in the beans and half the pasta, adding more pasta to each bowl, if desired. If desired, add the remaining broth to thin the soup. 6. Divide the soup among bowls and top with parmesan. Enjoy!
