This Fagioli Soup With Macaroni and Kale combines beans, vegetables, kale, and macaroni in a light tomato-y broth, cooked slowly to get as much flavor as possible out of the vegetables. In this recipe, I poured the hot broth over prewashed, cut kale and whole wheat elbow macaroni noodles.
This soup is a great combination of fresh vegetables, beans, and pasta. It is made with a light tomato and chicken stock broth with added flavor from cooking down the vegetables and adding a parmesan rind to the stock. You can make it as filling as you’re in the mood for by adding a small or hefty amount of macaroni pasta.
I’ve also made this with farro or pearl barley instead of pasta which pairs perfectly with the soup and adds a whole grain that is filling.
Pasta is great in all kinds of soup to add a bit of heft and make it filling. It is especially good in creamy soups, like this Creamy Vegetable Soup With White Cheddar and Orecchiette.
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🌟 Why You’ll Love This Soup
- Sofrito: Slowly cooking the vegetables to create a sofrito extracts so much flavor that is added to the broth. Sofrito is a style of preparation where a few aromatic items such as garlic and vegetables are cut very small and cooked slowly to form the base of a sauce or soup.
- Parmesan Rind: Adding a parmesan rind adds even more flavor. I like to buy parmesan at Trader Joe's because it is not overwhelming in taste, and is fairly inexpensive.
- Kale: Using pre-washed and pre-cut kale simplifies things. Also adding it to individual bowls prevents it from getting soggy, which means leftovers the next day can still be fresh and delicious.
✏️ Variations
- Whole Grains: Try quick cooking farro or pearl barley instead of macaroni. Pearl barley is also great in this Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup.
- Beans: Add different kinds of beans such as kidney beans or pinto beans.
- Kale: Swap out the kale for spinach, or cabbage, or leave out the extra greens.
- Bacon: Swap the bacon for Italian sausage, pancetta, or meatballs.
🛒 Ingredients
Below are the ingredients needed to make Fagioli Soup With Macaroni and Kale.
- Bacon: Adds fat and flavor.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I recommend using extra virgin olive oil which is more flavorful than virgin, pure, or light olive oil.
- Baby Carrots: You can also use regular carrots that are peeled and sliced.
- Leeks: Be sure to wash the leeks thoroughly. Leeks impart a subtle but distinct flavor that adds depth to the dish.
- Celery: Along with the carrots, and leeks, celery adds flavor to the broth base.
- Garlic: Minced, adds flavor to the broth.
- Cannellini beans: Adds heft to the soup.
- Diced Tomatoes: Using one 15oz can adds a light tomato-y flavor to the broth.
- Parmesan Rind: Used to flavor the broth and gets removed before serving.
- Bay Leaves: Be sure to remove before serving.
- Chicken Stock: Use low-sodium chicken stock, or if you have homemade chicken stock this would be a great recipe to use it.
- Baby Kale: Add to each individual bowl for serving so that it's not soggy for leftovers, or use regular kale and remove the centers stems.
- Elbow Macaroni: Whole wheat or regular is fine. Not all pasta brands are created equal. I prefer Barilla, and some stores sell the whole wheat version of elbow macaroni. Ditalini pasta is also common for this soup but it is harder to find.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
📝 How to Make Fagioli Soup With Macaroni and Kale
Below are the step-by-step instructions for how to make Fagioli Soup With Macaroni and Kale.
This includes making a sofrito, which is a handful of aromatic ingredients cooked low and slow to extract and add flavor to a dish. In this case that is carrots, celery, leeks, and garlic.
*Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.
Step 1. Prepare the Vegetables: Thinly slice the carrots, celery, and leeks. Mince the garlic.
Tip: Slice and mince the vegetables and garlic before starting this recipe. The first step on the stove is to make the bacon. If everything is prepped ahead, when the bacon is done, you can dump all the veggies in rather than having lag time in between (avoiding burning the bacon or leaving a hot empty pot on the stove).
Step 2. Crispy Bacon: Bring a Dutch oven or large pot to medium heat. Add the thinly sliced bacon and stir occasionally until crispy 3-5 minutes. Remove the bacon and set aside.
Step 3. Make The Sofrito: Add the carrots, celery, leeks, and garlic to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook for 25 more minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
Tip: Make note of the time. Then set a timer every 5 minutes until roughly 20 minutes have passed in order to keep track. It also does not have to be super precise. Aim for roughly 20 minutes of cooking time, and stir roughly every 5 minutes.
Step 4. Finish the Soup: Add the chicken broth, canned tomatoes, parmesan rind, bay leaves, and salt. Rinse and drain the cannellini beans and add them to the pot. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Cook at a simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves and parmesan rind. Add the bacon back to the pot, or keep it to the side to serve in individual bowls.
Step 5. Boil the Pasta: Meanwhile, cook the macaroni to al dente or 1 minute less than al dente according to the package directions.
Tip: Not all pasta brands provide an accurate timing for cooking the pasta to al dente. If you don't have a feel for whether the instructions are accurate, check the pasta 2 minutes before indicated on the box.
Step 6. Serve: To serve the soup add macaroni and kale to individual bowls. Then ladle the soup over the pasta and kale, and top with additional grated parmesan cheese (from the rest of the wedge that you cut the rind off earlier), and crispy bacon if you didn't already add it back to the pot.
🥄 Fagioli Soup FAQs
Fagioli soup is an Italian bean soup, where "fagioli" means beans in Italian. It's often called Pasta e Fagioli (pasta and beans). It can be made with various types of beans, such as cannellini, kidney, or pinto beans, and is typically seasoned with herbs and vegetables.
Yes, fagioli soup can be made ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or freeze it for longer storage.
Fagioli soup pairs well with crusty bread, such as a baguette or sourdough, or a simple side salad.
Sometimes I will get a whole grain loaf of bread, cut it into slices, brush it with olive oil, and broil it in the oven for a couple minutes to serve alongside this soup.
❄️ How To Serve, Store, Freeze
- To Serve: Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese, and crispy bacon, and serve with crusty bread. Or slice whole grain bread, brush it with olive oil, and put it under the broiler for 1-3 minutes to make it crispy. Serve with the soup.
- To Store: Store leftovers in a large airtight container for 3-5 days.
- To Freeze: Allow the soup to come to room temperature. Then pour the soup into a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
This recipe is adapted from Pasta e Fagioli, by Carla Lalli on Bon Appétit.
For More Soup Recipes That You May Love:
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Fagioli Soup with Macaroni and Kale
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 8 oz baby carrots, thinly sliced (half a 1 lb bag)
- 1 leek, cut in half lengthwise then sliced thinly (white and light green parts only)
- 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 15oz can cannellini beans
- 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 parmesan rind (optional)
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups low sodium chicken stock
- salt to taste
- 1 package pre-washed baby kale, or regular kale with stems removed and chopped
- 1 lb whole wheat elbow macaroni
- crusty bread for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large Dutch oven to medium heat and add the bacon. Cook until crispy, remove, and set aside.
- Add the olive oil, wait for it to warm through, then add the carrots, leek, celery, and garlic to the pot at medium heat and stirring frequently, cook for 5 minutes. Put the top on and cook for 15 minutes, removing the lid every 5 minutes and stirring.
- Add the beans (rinsed and drained), the diced tomatoes, parmesan rind, bay leaves, chicken stock, and salt to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the bacon back into the pot (or you can always save this to add to each bowl at the end).
- Separately cook the elbow macaroni until 1-2 minutes before the box indicates for al dente. It will continue to cook in the hot soup when ladled over individual bowls.
- Remove the parmesan rind and bay leaves.
- Please a handful of kale in the bottom of each bowl along with some cooked macaroni. Pour the hot soup over the kale and elbow macaroni and serve with extra parmesan cheese and optionally a side of bread. I’ve served this with whole grain bread, sliced and brushed with olive oil, and baked in the oven on broil for 3 minutes.
Eva Skardal says
This soup will be on our home menu from now on. It is very easy to make since most of the ingredients were already in my pantry. I substituted the pasta with farro to make it a bit more filling. It was the perfect soup on a cold, snowy New Hampshire night.
Lauren says
I'm glad you enjoyed it! We love to make this one all the time! Farro is a great substitution, we've even made it with pearl barley which we've loved.