Zuppa di Fagioli
A thick Italian bean soup of cannellini beans, onion, celery, carrot and rosemary, finished with olive oil.
Photograph credit: Zuppa di fagioli alla maruzzara by Nemo bis · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Before You Start
Cook the vegetables slowly until soft, without browning.
Mash some of the beans for a creamy broth.
Rinse the beans first to get rid of the canning liquid.
Use the best olive oil you have for the final trickle.
Cooking Zuppa di Fagioli
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Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large pan. Cook the onion, celery and carrots over a low heat for 10 minutes until soft.
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Add the garlic for 1 minute, then the beans, stock and rosemary.
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Bring to the boil and simmer for 25 minutes.
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Remove the rosemary. Mash a third of the beans against the side of the pan, season, and serve with the remaining oil trickled over.
Why the Method Works
Zuppa di fagioli simply means bean soup, and the recipe is exactly as plain as that sounds. Beans, a few vegetables, a sprig of rosemary and good olive oil are all it needs.
The base of onion, celery and carrot is cooked slowly in oil until soft, with no browning. That gentle cooking sweetens them and gives the soup its savoury depth. Take your time over this step. Rushing it leaves a raw edge that boiling does not remove.
Tinned cannellini beans save hours and cost very little. Mash about a third of them against the side of the pan to make a creamy broth without any cream. The rest stay whole for texture.
Finish with a thread of olive oil on each bowl. It adds richness and a fruity note. Serve with bread for dipping. A rind of parmesan simmered in the pot adds savoury depth at no extra cost. Fish it out before serving, along with the rosemary stalks.
After You've Cooked It
Keeps in the fridge for 4 days. Freezes well for up to 3 months.
Common Substitutions & Variations
- An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
Good With
- Toasted bread
- Grated parmesan
- Cavolo nero
- Chilli oil
Zuppa di Fagioli Nutrition Facts
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .
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