Whole-Food, Plant-Based Vegan Pasta e Fagioli
A hearty (and budget-friendly) plant-based soup filled with vegetables, beans, pasta, and loads of flavor.
This recipe is from the New Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Diet Cookbook and is a healthier take on the Italian Classic - made without added salt and oil.
Excerpt from Budget Friendly Plant-Based Diet Cookbook, by Kathy A. Davis, published by Rockridge Press. Copyright © 2021 by Callisto Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Course Soup
Cuisine Italian
- 1/2 cup diced carrots
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth divided
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can great northern beans
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast plus more for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 2 cups small whole-grain pasta mini shells or ditalini
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, sweat the carrots in 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth over medium-low heat. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes until starting to soften.
Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth, onion, and celery, and sweat, covered, for an additional 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat covered for 3 to 5 minutes, or until all the veggies are softened.
Add the remaining vegetable broth, tomatoes, beans and their juices, nutritional yeast, basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes (if using). Bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the pasta, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Stir occasionally to prevent the stew from scorching to the pan.
Serve with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast.