Beans and Pasta
This Pesto and Vegan Parmesan Pasta e Fagioli soup is the perfect quick and easy meal to warm you up this January. Serve in a big soup bowl with a hearty chunk of warm sourdough bread and dinner (or lunch) is served! White beans and tender pasta mingles with potatoes, red onion, garlic, olive oil, pesto and vegan Parmesan. This soothing soup can be made in under 30 minutes…
Happy 2019 everyone.
I hope you checked out my three things I learned in 2018, as well as my HHL Top Recipes of 2018. And if you need a bit more guidance and hands-on inspiration this year, check out FindingVegan(Meals) for recipes, meal plans and SO much more. I cannot wait to churn out more content for FVM this coming year — and everyone who purchases the program gets access to all upcoming content.
Vegan Pesto.
The vegan pesto that I used for this soup is by ROI. We love this stuff. It comes in a little jar and packs a punch of basil-garlic flavor in a small spoonful. We love it for pesto pasta and now I love it in soup. You can buy ROI Pesto on Amazon – I also buy it in person or online at Eataly.
Vegan Parm.
I used Follow Your Heart Parmesan shreds for my Pasta e Fagioli. But there are a few options in stores or you can make your own vegan parm.
Of course if you have the ingredients on hand, pesto is super easy to make yourself. All you need is a good blender of food processor and a few minutes. My basic pesto recipe usually includes: fresh basil, olive oil, lemon, garlic, walnuts and nutritional yeast or vegan Parm. Then some ‘pasta water’ too.
You can check out my basic Pesto recipe.
Beans.
I love bean stew this time of year. It is super satisfying and warming and hearty. Beans are a great source of fiber and contain protein, iron, vitamins and minerals. I used a small navy bean today, but a larger cannellini bean or even a butter bean would work really well.
No extra Parm on top works too!..
Other Pasta e Fagioli add-ins:
- mushrooms (add them in the beginning with the garlic and onion.
- vegan sausage – I like Field Roast spicy chipotle or Italian flavors for this soup. A basic vegan meatball or GimmeLean sausage would work well too.
- more herbs – you could use fresh herbs or even dried herbs like an Italian blend. Rosemary, sage, thyme. Any of those would work well.
- kale in place of the spinach.
- parsley – chopped flat-leaf parsley.
- carrots or celery could add even more veggie depth to this soup.
Pesto & Parm Pasta e Fagioli
Ingredients
- 4 cups water or broth to start, add more as desired for consistency
- 1 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 red onion, diced
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium Russe potato, peeled and diced
- 1 bay leaf, optional
- 1 cup pasta, any variety
- 1 1/2 cups 1 can white beans, navy beans used, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp vegan pesto
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- salt & pepper, to taste
- red pepper flakes and/or cayenne, to taste
- vegan Parmesan, to taste
- 1 cup organic spinach or kale, chopped
Instructions
- Warm a large soup pot over high heat. Add the olive oil, garlic and onion. Cook for two minutes, or until onions begin to soften and brown on the edges.
- Add in the potato, water, pasta, optional bay leaf and some salt and pepper to taste. (Note: if using broth you will need just a small amount of added salt – if using water you will need much more – always add to taste, and start with a tiny amount. You can always add more at the end of cooking.)
- Bring the soup to a boil and cover with lid. Turn heat to low and allow to simmer for about ten to fifteen minutes, or until the pasta and potatoes are tender. Tip: Use a small and thin pasta shape for faster cooking.
- Remove lid and add more water or broth as desired for a good brothy consistency. Also add in all the remaining ingredients: beans, pesto, nutritional yeast, pepper flakes or cayenne, spinach and a few pinches of vegan Parm. Stir well and cover again with lid. Keep heat on low and simmer for about 2-5 minutes.
- Remove lid and continue cooking until the consistency of broth is reached. If you want it thicker, you can simmer uncovered for a few minutes on low. Season to taste.
- Serve warm with additional olive oil and vegan Parm over top.
nutrition estimate | per serving
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