Skip to Content
Advertisement
Recipes

How to Make Pasta and Beans

This variation on the classic pasta e fagioli is from the Veneto and calls for "badly cut" pasta.

By The Silver Spoon

10:00 AM EDT on April 17, 2025

Bowl of pasta e fagioli

Pasta and beans, the Italian dish known as pasta e fagiol. Photo: Matt Russell

Here is how to make pasta and beans, or pasta e fasiòi, a rustic-style dish of maltagliati (“badly cut”) pasta, in a hearty soup-style dish typical of the Veneto region, particularly during the winter months. The beans are soaked overnight, so leave plenty of time to prepare.

For those familiar with the southern Italian and Americanized version commonly known as pasta e fagioli (or even pasta fazool), this is essentially the same dish. Variations of soups made with pasta and beans hail from several regions of Italy, but this recipe comes from a cookbook devoted to regional Italian cuisine and represents the Veneto.

Adapted from The Regional Italian Cookbook by The Silver Spoon (Phaidon, US $59.95, 2025)

Pasta and Beans (Pasta e fasiòi)

Pasta and Beans (Pasta e fasiòi)

Recipe by The Silver Spoon
0.0 from 0 votes
Cuisine: Italian
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

2

hours 

40

minutes

Ingredients

  • 14 ounces 14 /21/4 cups/400 g dried white beans

  • 3 tablespoons 3 extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve

  • 4 4 fresh sage leaves

  • 1 clove 1 garlic, crushed

  • 3 tablespoons 3 finely chopped tomatoes

  • 3 ounces 3 /80 g egg maltagliati pasta

  • Salt and black pepper

Directions

  • Soak the beans in a large bowl of water overnight. The next day, drain and cook them in a large saucepan of water for 2 hours, or until tender. Drain the beans, transfer half of them to a blender or food processor, and blend to a purée. Set the other beans aside.
  • Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the sage and crushed garlic, and fry for 2 minutes. Add the puréed beans, about 50 fl oz/6 cups/1.5 liters water, and the chopped tomatoes. Season sparingly with salt and cook for 30 minutes.
  • Add the whole beans followed by the pasta and cook for about 10 minutes. The bean mixture should have quite a thick consistency. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
  • Serve the pasta e fasiòi hot, warm, or cold—the dish is delicious any which way—and always with a drizzle of oil.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @appetitomagazine on Instagram and hashtag it with #italianfoodanddrink

Like this recipe?

Follow @Appetitomagazine on Pinterest

Follow us on Facebook!

Follow us on Facebook

More Stories

The Day an American Customer Explained Lasagna to Me

An argument over lasagna changed how one Italian restaurant manager thought about authenticity.

November 11, 2026

Kelly Rizzo’s Easy Roasted Garlic and Broccoli Pasta

Kelly Rizzo puts the blender to work on a comforting pasta dinner, with roasted garlic and broccoli in every twirl.

November 10, 2026

Why Sardinian Food Isn’t Quite What You Expect From Italy

From shepherds’ bread to honey-covered cheese pastries, Sardinia’s traditional dishes tell the story of life beyond the coast.

November 10, 2026

Kelly Rizzo on Italian Food, Family and Finding Comfort

The podcast host shares the family dishes she treasures and how cooking keeps her connected to the people she loves.

November 10, 2026

Sip and Savor Restaurant Week in Los Angeles

With chefs creating their own dishes and pairings, the two-week event offers five different ways to explore a classic Italian combination.

November 10, 2026

Fare fiasco: When a Wine Bottle Took the Blame

Wine, theater, and the curious career of an Italian bottle with a bad reputation.

November 9, 2026