This low-fat, vegan pasta fagioli, the traditional Italian pasta and beans soup, is thick and delicious. Using an Instant Pot speeds it up!
Since the weather got cooler, I’ve been making a lot more soups and stews. And since I’ve been test-driving a new Instant Pot (more about that in an upcoming post), I’ve been pressure cooking a lot of dried beans. So it was only natural to use my new gadget to make a soup/stew starting with dried beans. But don’t worry–you don’t have to have a pressure cooker to make this thick, Italian-inspired soup because I’ll tell you how to make it in either a pressure cooker or in a regular pot on the stove.
Cranberry beans are pretty when dried but lose their vibrant color when cooked.
I’ve had these beautiful cranberry beans sitting in a jar in my kitchen for a while, and though they make for an attractive decoration, beans do get old and should be used before they’re eligible for social security. So when I saw a Food Network recipe for Cranberry Bean Pasta Fagioli, I knew I had to make–and veganize–it. And pressure cookerize it. And fatfree-ize it. You get the picture. By the time I got through doing all that and doubling the amount of beans, it wasn’t much like the original. But it was delicious.
You don’t have to go searching for cranberry beans if you don’t have them because this recipe works just as well with pinto beans (cranberry beans have a slightly nuttier flavor, but with all the other flavors in this soup, I doubt you’ll notice). I used whole wheat pasta, but any pasta, including gluten-free, will do. I also used tomatoes from a box to avoid BPA, but you could use one of those big cans of tomatoes if you prefer. And I have a big rosemary bush right outside my kitchen window, so using fresh is easy for me, but you could always substitute dried.
I was actually very surprised at how much my family loved this dish. I’ve made other “pasta and beans” dishes, but this is one of the few times I’ve started with dried beans, and I really think it makes a difference. Lately it can be hard to get my daughter to eat beans, other than chickpeas, so I was thrilled when she liked this so much. I served it with a large chopped salad and that was all we needed for a hearty meal.
Be sure to check out my other pressure cooker recipes, all of which can be cooked in an electric or traditional pressure cooker.
Pasta Fagioli with Cranberry Beans and Kale
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried cranberry beans, borlotti beans, or pinto beans soaked for at least an hour–see step 1
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 7 cloves garlic minced and divided
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced or 1/2 tsp. dried
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 26 ounces chopped tomatoes canned
- 3 teaspoons dried basil leaves divided
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano divided
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt optional or to taste
- 2 cups small pasta (whole grain or gluten-free preferred)
- 10 ounces kale (4-6 cups chopped, stems removed and leaves chopped)
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Suggested Tools
Instructions
- At least an hour before cooking: Check the beans for rocks and other debris and rinse them well. Then do a quick soak by placing the beans in a pot or pressure cooker, covering with 2 inches of water, and bringing to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let stand for at least 1 hour. Drain well and rinse. Set aside. (Alternately, soak overnight, drain well, and rinse.)
- Heat your pressure cooker (use the Sauté or Brown button on electric PC’s). Add the onion and a pinch of baking soda (optional) and cook until it begins to soften, adding water by the tablespoon if necessary to prevent sticking. Add the celery, half of the garlic, the rosemary, and the red pepper flakes and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, 2 teaspoons of basil, 1 teaspoon oregano, and the smoked paprika. Heat, stirring, until hot.
- Add the drained beans, 6 cups of water or vegetable broth, and salt, if you desire. Lock the lid in place, bring to high pressure, and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. (Electric PC’s: select Manual and set the time to 10 minutes.) After 10 minutes at high pressure, remove from heat or turn off electric cooker and allow the pressure to come down naturally for 15 minutes. Release all pressure using a quick release. Carefully open the lid and check the beans. If they are not all completely softened and cooked, replace the lid and bring to high pressure for another minute or two. Quick-release pressure and check beans again. Do this until the beans are all tender.
- Once the beans are done, add the reserved garlic, basil, and oregano and check to see if additional salt is needed. Add the pasta and return to medium heat (electric PC–use Sauté or Brown setting). Cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is almost al dente–just a touch undercooked. Stir in the kale, turn off the heat, and cover the cooker. Allow the kale to cook in the residual heat for about 5 minutes. Check kale and pasta for tenderness and add more time if needed. Stir in nutritional yeast and freshly ground black pepper to taste and serve.
Notes
Follow the directions in steps 1 through 3, using a large, heavy pot. Then add the dried beans, salt, and 8 cups of water or broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until beans are tender, adding more water if necessary. Allow 1 1/2 to 2 hours for beans to cook. Uncover the pot and bring back to a boil. Add the pasta and reserved seasonings and check the liquid level–there should be enough to cover the pasta completely; if not, add more. Cook until pasta is al dente. Add the kale, cover the pot, and cook on low for 3-5 minutes. Add nutritional yeast and black pepper to taste.
Nutritional info is approximate.
A Note About Nutritional Yeast
Nutritional yeast gives this soup a savory umami flavor that replaces the Parmesan cheese used in traditional Pasta Fagioli recipes. But it has come to my attention that there have been studies (such as this one and this one) that raise the concern that high amounts of synthetic folic acid may increase the risk of breast cancer.
Most brands of nutritional yeast do contain added folic acid in varying amounts, and while using a little every now and then is probably not a problem, if you use a lot, you may want to read labels carefully and choose brands that contain as little folic acid as possible. For the past few months, I have been using Foods Alive brand, and I like it a lot. Plus, it’s less expensive than Sari Foods, the other popular unfortified nutritional yeast.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy something through them, I receive a commission that helps support this site. Thanks for your purchase!
janet @ the taste space
I recently got a pressure cooker as well and learning the different times for each bean. I haven’t yet progressed to a full blown meal in there but I’d love to try this. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Stephanie Hartley
This looks incredible! I’ve been looking for a way to use up my leftover kale when I’m tired of having it cooked in the same way – this could be the perfect recipe! Thanks 🙂
Steph – http://nourishmeclean.blogspot.com
Amanda
I’ve read you shouldn’t add tomatoes while cooking dried beans as it can make them tough. Is there any truth to that in your experience?
Susan Voisin
There’s an idea that the acid in tomatoes toughens the beans’ skins, keeping them from getting soft, but I haven’t found that to be true. I just don’t think there’s enough acid in tomatoes to make a big difference. But if you’re worried, be sure to add a little baking soda (1/4 tsp.) and that should counteract the tomatoes. I almost always add baking soda to speed up the cooking of onions at the start of recipes.
Amanda
I just want you to know that I make this recipe ALL THE TIME. It’s a family favorite! I love how hearty and healthy it is, and it’s so low in WW points! I always just add the tomatoes before the pasta, because I’m still nervous about that.
Ruth
I always thought you should not add sugar or acidic foods to beans before they are cooked as they never get done. I have made the mistake of not cooking the beans before adding the seasonings, etc. when making baked beans. They NEVER get done! But, I just read on another site that it is okay to use small amounts of acid or tomatoes without problems. Who knew??
Susan Voisin
I really think the age of the beans has much more to do with how much they soften than anything we add to them. Even though my beans were a little on the old side, 10 minutes at high pressure was plenty of time, despite the tomatoes. People used to think that adding salt toughened beans and that proved to be false, so I think that the tomato thing will eventually be proven to be a myth, too. 🙂
Linda Cantave
I eat beans every day of my life, since I was a child. The one thing I know for sure is that if you want your beans to cook faster do not add salt until they are done and you don’t really have to soak them. But if you do it’s okay too it just take longer time to cook. It takes an hour to cook dried beans for sauce/gravy or soup and 35/40 minutes for beans needed in rice mixed with beans. When I cook beans I used a large pot, rinse them and put a large amount of water add fresh parsley, garlic, and thyme then cover to cook in medium heat. Depending on what need the beans for it will take 40 minutes or one hour to start my meal. I am a Caribbean and beans are the staple of our kitchen, vegetarian or not, we eat beans every day and always include the water that it cooked in for flavor, color and nutrients.
Wendy
I’m off the pasta right now (and possibly forever) trying to recover from severe sugar addiction, but I can still totally enjoy your gorgeous photographs! Stunning!
Pam
Wendy,
I don’t eat much pasta & found myself considering this without it. I believe it would still be fabulous!
oceanfrontcabin
I think it would still be fabulous without the pasta. It was a thick hearty soup before I added the pasta, which just made it even thicker.
Anna
I made it without pasta, since I don’t like it that much in soups. i substituted few cubed potatoes. I liked it 🙂
Susan Voisin
Thanks, Wendy! You could always try this using a large, chewy grain, like farro. Good luck with the sugar addiction. I know it too well!
Baby June
Mmm that sounds wonderful! I just love pasta fagioli, this variation looks so comforting and delicious 🙂
Pam
I do love the way you think! This sounds & looks so wonderful.
Rosemary & smoked paprika are two of my “favorites” (is it possible to have a dozen favorites?), but don’t think I’d have considered putting them together. This soup is definitely getting made this week…it’s 68 degrees today, but forcast has temps plummeting to mid 30s high tomorrow & for the next week….with a chance for snow Saturday. Your timing is impeccable. 🙂
Also love the bowl.
Millie | Add A Little
Looks so easy and delicious – I love the addition of nutritional yeast!
moonwatcher
Susan, this looks great! I will definitely give a “slow” version of this a try. So comforting, as “pasta fagioli” is a traditional family dish in the region of Italy where my ancestors are from. My Dad called pasta and beans “pasta fazoole.” (Don’t quote me on that phonetic spelling!) And thanks for the heads up about the nutritional yeast. Much appreciated.
xoxo
moonwatcher (Maria)
Stephanie @ A Magpie in the Sky
I love the colours the beans add, I’m not sure what we call them here in the UK. You’ve inspired me to try putting some actual cranberries in a pasta dish!
Danielle
Am I the only weirdo that loves it when a bean ends up inside a pasta shell? In your picture it looks like two of the beans are going to sail off on an adventure in the bowl!
This recipe looks good. I’m not usually a fan of pasta and beans together, but I may have to try this one.
Susan Voisin
You are not alone. My daughter said that what she liked best was eating each pasta shell with a bean inside, and she went to great pains to make sure they ended up paired together. I love your description of them as going to sail off on an adventure–I’ll have to tell her that!
Veganopoulous
Wow, I didn’t know that about the folic acid. I love nutritional yeast! Thank you for mentioning this. And what a great recipe too 😀
Judy
Made this soup tonight in my instant pot. Excellent broth and filling supper. Yet another very tasty and sensible recipe. I use my instant pot almost every day and at times 3 times a day. I make yogurt in the pot by just opening the soy milk carton and stirring in the culture, then set the “yogurt” button…wella yogurt.
Keep up the excellent work. Keeping you in prayers for your health.
caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy
I’ve never tried cranberry beans before! looks incredible! yum:)
Anne E. McGuigan
Hi Susan,
The soup looks very tasty. I would love to try a pressure cooker, but I am always afraid it will blow up while I am using it- from pilot error, of course. I presume it is pretty tough to make this happen, but one never knows. I will probably stick with the old fashioned way.
That is interesting news about the Nutritional Yeast. I must admit that I have not checked the nutrient list on the side of the package. I must do this. I wonder if Dr. Greger has anything to say about this. I must check it out.
Many thanks for sharing.
Anne
janzy
Anne, I used to never use a pressure cooker due to same fear. The Instant Pot takes all that away. It is electric and fabulous!
janzy
What do you use for a good gluten free pasta? I am new to the gluten free but I cannot eat wheat now so I am wanting to find new pastas.
Susan Voisin
My favorite gluten-free pasta is quinoa pasta, but the brown rice pasta is also good. Be sure to watch it carefully because it can overcook and turn to mush in a heartbeat.
Juliana
Whats the severing size for one person
Juliana
Whats the severing size for one person for this recipe
Susan Voisin
I can’t say the exact serving size because it comes out “soupier” depending on who makes it, but a serving is 1/8 of the recipe and will probably be at least a cup and a half and probably closer to 2 cups.
Juliana
What brand of pasta did u use
Juliana
How did u figure out the nutrional information for the recipe
Susan Voisin
I use a software program that adds up all the nutrients and divides by the number of servings.
Susan Voisin
I used Whole Food’s 365 brand. You can see it in the photo of the ingredients.
Laurie
It is possible Engevita has a yeast without fortification. They do have types with fortification also. I have an inquiry in with a local store to help sort out which ones they carry.
Belmarra
My son and i made this. This is really pretty easy. The whole family loved this divine recipe.
Tracie
I made this today and it’s so good!! I think it would be great even without the pasta, for those who were asking. Add some barley or brown rice, maybe. This has just the right amount of herbs and a little kick from the red pepper flakes. I will definitely put this in my rotation!!
Loraine
The regular Whole Foods brand nutritional yeast at my whole foods is completely unfortified.
I’ve heard that Dr. Alan Goldhamer from True North recommends no nutritional yeast at all because it’s too high in protein, raising IGF-1 — does anyone know if that’s true?
Loraine
Forgot to say the dish looks completely delicious!
Suzanne
Loraine- I think the issue is that most Nutritional Yeast has been fortified with synthetic Folic Acid…which according to Dr. Fuhrman is cancer promoting.
oceanfrontcabin
Oh Yum-m-m! We had this for dinner tonight. It filled my 6 quart crockpot to the rim-i.e., makes a lot. Only change is I added some mushrooms and left out salt/pepper. Seasonings and spice are just right, so we didn’t need salt/pepper. Thanks so much Susan for another good one.
Jill
Thanks for mentioning your crock pot size. I have a 3 1/2-quart and I sometimes forget I have to cut recipes in half.
Jill
Wow, I’m on a soup kick and will definitely be making this. I saw dry Borlotti beans sold in bags at my local Italian deli this weekend – I’ll have to go back and buy a bag.
No pressure cooker, but I’ll be doing it in the crock pot. The pasta looks like little armadillos. Yay! And thanks for the lovely photograph.
Benjamin
Fantastic recipe! Thank you so much. I doubled the red pepper flakes, because I like heat, but I kept everything else the same. I put the kale in so last-minute that it retained a bit of its texture in eating, and that proved very nice.
Steven
Made this tonight w/ black beans and fusilli (What I had with me at the time)
This was a really delicious, hearty, and healthy recipe. Thank you!
Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen
Cranberry beans sound lovely, Susan! I have never had them before! This soup looks so warm and comforting! I cannot wait to try it 🙂 Pinned!
Werner
Somehow I got pretty confused making this soup with the different steps, and it took me forever (stovetop). But worthwhile to stick it out – it’s rich and delicious! Only changes: added 1 tbsp tamari and a splash or two of red wine vinegar. I hope it freezes well because it made a HUGE batch. Thanks so much for a recipe combo I would never have thought to try. Fabulous photo, as always 🙂
Stacey
How long did it take you on the stovetop? I’m planning to make it this evening. Would about 3 hours be enough time? Seems like 1 hour with just the beans, 1.5-2 hours with added spices & veggies, and then maybe another 15 minutes or so with the pasta & kale?
Amy
I made this soup this week and it was so good! I had to substitute with pinto beans but my husband and I loved it. Thank you for the recipe.
Chery
Very tasty even when I forgot to put in nutritional yeast… I did the opposite of pressure cooking and did everything as slowly as possible. First soaked the Roman beans overnight and sprouted them in a colander all day, then cooked them with onion, garlic, celery and carrots and 6 cups of water in a slow cooker on high for a couple of hours. After taking out the content I added 2 cups of water to what was left of the broth/stock along with the chopped tomatoes and herbs and cooked on low overnight. About an hour or two before serving I put in the pasta and 2 more stalks of celery, turned the cooker back on high, and finally added the kale & beans and cooked on low for a few minutes.
As the weather gets colder I think I’ll be using the slow cooker more and more. I also combined your tofu jambalaya recipe with this one and cooked it in the crock pot:
http://www.connoisseurusveg.com/2014/03/vegan-slow-cooker-jambalaya.html
Jem
This looks so yummy. I’d like to use pinto beans which I’ve been told are a good substitute. I happen to have canned pinto beans that I’d like to use. How would I substitute canned in this recipe?
Terri Cole
Hi Susan! I made this soup last week and loved it! I did make a few changes. I used 1 cup of farro instead of the pasta, and cannellini beans because that’s what I had on hand. I also used some mixed baby greens (kale, chard, spinach) that I had frozen. The farro went in at the beginning with everything else. I had to give it 3 more minutes at pressure to get the beans done but they were old. It needed a bit more liquid, probably because of the farro. The flavors and textures were lovely. I will definitely make it again, especially since I would like to try following your version more exactly.
Allou
How long to cook just the beans in the pressure cooker? I’d like to make the rest on the stove.
Thanks,
Allou
Susan Voisin
For pre-soaked beans start with 10 minutes at high pressure and add more as needed.
Rosemary
Made this today and it was very good. I may add a bit more smoked paprika next time. I used pinto beans because I didn’t have cranberry beans, and quinoa macaroni. Yum.
Bridget
Hi Susan,
Can I make this soup with canned beans ? If yes, is there anything I would need to alter. Thank you.
Susan Voisin
See Loraine’s comment below. 🙂
screenshot windows
I bet this is so good! These flavors are perfection!
Suzanne
This was really good! I love the Whole Foods brand pasta shells with it.
Sue
About your Amazon link, if I go to Amazon using your link whatever I buy you would get credit for that buy? I would like to start using your link for this purpose. I tried it the last time I went to Amazon, but it didn’t look like link was showing up. How do I know the link is working?
Susan Voisin
If you use one of the links in my post to products on Amazon or click the link in the right column that says “Start Your a Shopping Here,” everything you buy during that visit should give me credit for the sale. When you get to Amazon, you can look in the address bar to see if somewhere in the address you see “fatfreevegan”–that way you’ll know it’s working. Thank you for asking! I appreciate the support!
Loraine Mazzolini
Well I just used canned cannellini beans and added 4 cups of broth instead of the water you used for the beans and it was delicious
Susan Voisin
Thanks for letting me know!
Susan Voisin
Oh, how many cans did you use?
Loraine Mazzolini
I used one 15 oz. can but after eating it thought it could have used a second can. Love everything you have shared both recipes and your personal life. You are now just “Susan” at our dinner table as though you are a friend who shared her recipe with us! Thanks for all you do! Also, found cranberry beans where I order my other hard to find beans, like black lentils for your Black Lentil chili recipe, at http://www.purcellmountainfarms.com if case others are interested in ordering them. I will add them to my order next time so I can try them in this recipe. The picture looked so good though and it is so cold here in Cleveland that I had to use other beans and make this right away. I even used white pasta because that is all I had in the house. After reading Melody’s post over at http://melodypolakow.wordpress.com/2014/11/04/when-the-food-you-love-makes-you-sick/
I know feel it is ok to deviate on all the “healthy” foods once in a while. I told her to read your blog too. I think you both can relate to how you feel about your health situations.
Leftovers for tonight… can’t wait.
MommaJ
I recently made this (in my new IP!) and it was SO good. The entire family enjoyed it (they’re still meat eaters). Thanks for the delicious recipe!
nalani
The thing about the nutritional yeast is frustrating given that fortified nutritional yeast is how I get a lot of my vitamin B12, given that I don’t take supplements (its too easy for me to forget) :/
I tend to be distrustful of studies using rats because rats are very different animals from humans with different nutritional needs, and things will affect them that won’t affect humans.
sandi ryan
This is the best thing I’ve made in my instant pot so far. I took it for lunch every day for a week! Thank you 🙂
Lori
A little disappointed to discover the beans lose their pretty speckle when cooked but, goodness, this is delicious!