Cheesy Baked Pasta Fagioli
Turning the classic Italian soup into a pasta dinner.
One of my favorite cold season soups has to be pasta e fagioli. It’s a bean and pasta soup with chunks of Italian sausage, tomato, and Ditalini pasta. This version takes everything amazing about this classic Italian soup and transforms it into a cheesy baked pasta.
The sauce will take on all the components of the soup by creating a Bolognese-style meat sauce.
What Ingredients Are In Pasta e Fagioli?
All the ingredients in the traditional soup with extra cheese!
- Ditalini pasta. One pound.
- Italian sausage. One pound.
- Ground beef. One pound.
- Kidney beans.
- Herbs and spices.
- Fresh garlic.
- Canned tomato.
- Ricotta.
- Fontina cheese.
- Parmesan.
The sauce will take on all the components of the soup by creating a Bolognese-style meat sauce.
Treat your sauce like any other Italian tomato sauce. Caramelize the veg, spice up the sauce, and let it slowly simmer for at least one hour. The more time the sauce is simmering the better the flavor.
How Do You Make Cheesy Baked Pasta Fagioli?
Now it’s time to throw it all together in one pan and bake it in the oven with lots of gooey cheese. Spoon over the ricotta in big scoops and slap it onto the pasta. It looks great this way, but the force helps the ricotta get into the center without mixing. Finish it off with handfuls of cheese and bake it until golden in some parts and gooey in others.
This is such a hearty and delicious weeknight dinner recipe that works perfect for any household occasion. I serve mine with a spoon, but you can easily cool this down and serve it in squares like lasagna. We are bringing this delicious hearty Italian soup back onto our dinner plates.
Cheesy Baked Pasta Fagioli
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Italian sausage
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons dried basil
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained
- 1 lb. ditalini pasta
- 1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 cup ricotta
- 1 cup fontina cheese, grated
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
Preparation
- In a large pot, brown the sausage and ground beef with olive oil over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the onions, garlic, herbs, and tomato paste. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes or until the paste starts sticking.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the ditalini pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes and kidney beans to the mixture and turn the heat to low. Scraping the bottom to ensure all the flavor mixes in. Bring the soup to a simmer and taste for seasoning.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the cooked pasta and one handful of grated cheese.
- Pour half the cheesy soup into a 9x13 baking dish, and top with half of each cheese. Repeat once more, finishing with cheese, then bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is all golden and bubbly.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve!