Bean and Pasta Soup

This mixed bean and pasta soup with tomatoes is perfect for a last-minute warming soup on cool days. It combines pantry staples such as canned tomatoes, beans, and pasta, with a few seasonings for a simple, wholesome vegan soup. This pasta and green bean soup is pantry-friendly and low-budget. It’s also oil-free, gluten-free optional, and versatile too!

The Ingredients and Substitutes

• Vegetable broth: Use the vegetable broth/stock of your choice, including low sodium if preferred. 
• Tomatoes: You’ll need one can of chopped tomatoes for this recipe. During the summer, you could use fresh tomatoes but would need to allow them longer to cook and develop flavors. (Pre-roasting the tomatoes could help). 
• Pasta: Use 1 ½ cups of any uncooked pasta of your choice. While it’s best to use small pasta like small shell, elbow, ditalini, or cavatelli, any pasta will work in a pinch. Use gluten-free if needed. 
• Beans: Use 1 ½ cups of cooked (or canned) white beans (navy, cannellini, great Northern, or even butter beans would work). Also add 1 can of green beans to the soup.
• Aromatics: You’ll need a simple combination of fresh minced garlic and a bay leaf for this mixed bean and tomato pasta soup. 
• Seasonings: A pinch of poulty seasoning, and salt and pepper is all you need for this pasta bean soup. If you don’t have poultry seasoning, you can add a little dried rosemary, thyme, sage, marjoram (if you have it), and black pepper, to personal taste. Alternatively, use dried basil or oregano. 

Variations and Add-Ins

• Other vegetables: You could add several vegetables to this pasta and bean soup while remaining low budget. Our favorite options are mushrooms, celery, carrots, and onions. Finely chop and pan-fry until softened at the very beginning of the cooking process. 
• Vegan pasta e Fagioli: This Italian bean soup with pasta is the ‘pumped up’ version of my basic pantry version. This version relies on a sofrito (a combination of aromatic veggies that are sauteed and softened at the beginning of the cooking process for about 15 minutes). We recommend carrot, leek, and celery. You can also add a little ‘smoked’ flavor with a little liquid smoke (just a few drops).
• Meat alternatives: Make it even more filling with your choice of meat alternative: meatballs, sausage, tofu, etc. 
• Greens: Kale (tough ribs removed), chard, or collard greens are an excellent (and nutritious) addition to this tomato bean soup. 
• Other grains: You can easily swap out the pasta for another grain like bulgur, quinoa, orzo, giant couscous, etc. However, note that the cooking time will vary. For quinoa (or other slower cooking grains), I recommend using leftovers (or pre-cooking) and stirring it into the soup in the last few minutes.  
• Vegan cheese: Sprinkle the soup with a little dairy-free cheddar, mozzarella, or simply some nutritional yeast (or vegan parm) for a little cheesy flavor.  
• For spice: You can garnish the soup with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes for a little heat. For more heat, add chili/cayenne pepper to the soup. 
• Lemon juice: While optional, a little fresh lemon juice added to the mixed bean and tomato pasta soup when serving really enhances the flavor of this simple soup. 

How to Make Bean and Pasta Soup?

Keep scrolling to the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and recipe instructions.

1. First, add the minced garlic and a splash of vegetable broth to a large soup pot (or Dutch oven) and lightly sauté over medium-high heat. 
2. Then, when the garlic is just beginning to brown, add the tomatoes and 3 cups of vegetable broth, mix, and bring to a boil. 
3. Once boiling, add the uncooked pasta, spices, and bay leaf, mix. Then continue to cook until the pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally. 
4. Next, add the pre-cooked beans and green beans, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add extra broth if needed. 
5. Finally, add salt and pepper to taste, give it a try (to ensure everything is cooked well), remove the bay leaf, and serve. 

Serve the pasta, bean, tomato soup alone or drizzled with a bit of olive oil and served with bread. If you have some, adding a little spoonful of pesto (like this vegan walnut pesto or sunflower seed pesto) also tastes delicious!

Toni’s Recipe Tips

• For a more brothy soup: Feel free to either increase the broth or reduce the pasta and beans. 
• For a thicker soup: Feel free to blend a portion of the soup and white beans (not green beans or pasta) until smooth. Then pour it back into the tomato bean soup. 

FAQs

How to Make-Ahead and Store?

This bean and pasta soup is very meal-prep friendly. If using dried beans or an alternative grain, these can be prepared in advance. More so, this budget-friendly pasta e Fagioli tastes even better on day two, so you can prepare the entire soup in advance!

If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Note that the pasta will continue to absorb the broth, so it will become thicker as it sits. You may also be able to freeze the soup, though the green beans and pasta may become mushy upon thawing, so I don’t recommend it. 

You can reheat the pasta tomato green bean soup either on the stovetop or in the microwave until piping hot. 

Serving Suggestions

Enjoy a portion of this pasta, bean, and tomato soup as a side or main with:

• Bread: try crusty easy no knead bread, easy vegan dinner rolls, vegan focaccia bread, or flatbread.
• Cornbread: like this vegan cornbread recipe cast iron skillet or sweet potato cornbread,
• Biscuits: consider quick and easy vegan biscuits.
• A sandwich: like vegan grilled cheese, this tempeh sandwich, or pesto tofu sandwich.
• A salad: especially a leafy green salad like vegan Caesar salad, easy roasted pumpkin salad, or kale garbanzo bean salad.
• A side: enjoy with a crispy side like air fryer chickpeas, and/or crispy baked kale chips.

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If you tried this bean and pasta soup recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!

Photos by Alfonso Revilla