I have always loved pasta fagioli. It’s one of those soups that comfort you and taste like wrapping yourself in a blanket. Problem is, I can never eat it any more because I can’t eat that evil gluten. So, what’s a girl to do? Make her own of course!
This soup, as with all of my soups, was made without oil. I don’t sauté in oil, because it’s 100% not needed in a soup. I add the veggies to a hot pan, and add a little bit of broth or water to get the sauté going, and to proven sticking. After that, the added broth allows the veggies just to cook in their own liquid.
I used dried lima beans for this recipe, the traditional bean used in pasta fagioli. If you’d like to use canned beans, you could use cannellini beans, as you most likely won’t find white lima beans in a can. We always prefer making our own beans. It’s much less expensive, you can get organic beans in bulk, control sodium, avoid BPA-lined cans, and reduce waste. It’s a hands-off process that just requires a little planning on your part. You can make large batches and freeze beans too. If you’re thinking about cooking your own beans I HIGHLY recommend a pressure cooker. It drastically cuts your cooking time and makes a superior bean!
*Note: To cook the dried beans, soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain, rinse, and place in a pressure cooker along with 2 bay leaves. Bring to pressure and cook for 9 minutes, shut off stove and allow pressure to drop. If making in a regular pot, cover beans with double the water, add 2 bay leaves, bring to boil, and reduce heat. Simmer for about 1 hour until beans have softened but aren’t mushy. Drain.
Get your ingredients all set ahead of time and your soup (and all recipes) will come together quickly. This was a great weeknight meal.
Ingredients:
- 4-5 cups Shredded Napa Cabbage
- 2 cups carrots
- 2 cups celery
- 2 1/2 cups onions
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt/kosher
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 4 cups broth (or omit and do all water)
- 4 cups water
- 1 quart of canned tomatoes, or a 28 oz can
- 1 pint of canned tomatoes, or a 15 oz can
- 1 pound cooked lima beans, about 6 cups cooked (can use 4 cans of cannellini beans)-see note above
- 1 pound of gluten free pasta mini-shells
- Serving: fresh parsley, dairy-free parmesan, added greens like spinach
Instructions:
- Place carrots, celery, onions, thyme, pepper, salt, and garlic in a hot pot and saute, adding a little broth/water if needed to prevent sticking.
- Once veggies have softened, add in cabbage, and tomatoes, including juices, and cook until cabbage wilts.
- Add beans, broth and water to desired thickness. If thicker soup is desired, add less water. Simmer for 10 minutes until flavors come together.
- While soup simmers, bring a pot of water to boil. Add a pinch of salt. Once water has boiled, add in pasta and cook until done (make sure you don’t over cook gluten free pasta-can get mushy quickly). Rinse.
- To serve: add pasta to bowl and ladle soup on top. I recommend not adding pasta to soup to prevent the pasta from absorbing too much liquid and becoming mushy. You can add in some raw greens like spinach or swiss chard, and top with some parsley and dairy-free parmesan (we made one out of pine nuts, but you can find them it the cold section where you’d find alternatives to cheese).
Nutritional Benefits:
- High in plant-based protein: 10 g, beans are loaded with protein, fiber, and potassium, great for healing the body
- High in antioxidants: tomatoes and carrots pack the punch with Vitamin A (35% daily needs/serving), which helps skin, eye, dental, and bone health, as well as helping to lower LDL cholesterol, 39% Vitamin C-great for boosting immunity and eliminating toxins
- Cholesterol and Fat free-awesome for heart disease and diabetes, as well as maintaining a heart healthy body
- Vegan/Gluten Free
- Anti-inflammatory
- Very low in calories
- High in fiber: 11g, great for digestive health and reducing blood pressure and LDL cholesterol
- High in potassium: 553 mg, great for kidney and nervous system function, lowering blood pressure, beans are a great source of this
- Omit the pasta and make this a more diabetic friendly recipe, or serve a smaller amount of pasta
- 4-5 cups Shredded Napa Cabbage
- 2 cups carrots
- 2 cups celery
- 2½ cups onions
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1½ tsp sea salt/kosher
- ½ tsp pepper
- 4 cups broth (or omit and do all water)
- 4 cups water
- 1 quart of canned tomatoes, or a 28 oz can
- 1 pint of canned tomatoes, or a 15 oz can
- 1 pound cooked lima beans, about 6 cups cooked (can use 4 cans of cannellini beans)-see note above
- 1 pound of gluten free pasta mini-shells
- Serving: fresh parsley, dairy-free parmesan, added greens like spinach
- Place carrots, celery, onions, thyme, pepper, salt, and garlic in a hot pot and saute, adding a little broth/water if needed to prevent sticking.
- Once veggies have softened, add in cabbage, and tomatoes, including juices, and cook until cabbage wilts.
- Add beans, broth and water to desired thickness. If thicker soup is desired, add less water. Simmer for 10 minutes until flavors come together.
- While soup simmers, bring a pot of water to boil. Add a pinch of salt. Once water has boiled, add in pasta and cook until done (make sure you don't over cook gluten free pasta-can get mushy quickly). Rinse.
- To serve: add pasta to bowl and ladle soup on top. I recommend not adding pasta to soup to prevent the pasta from absorbing too much liquid and becoming mushy. You can add in some raw greens like spinach or swiss chard, and top with some parsley and dairy-free parmesan (we made one out of pine nuts, but you can find them it the cold section where you'd find alternatives to cheese).
