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Healthy Pasta Fagioli is a cozy, protein and fiber packed low calorie dinner recipe. Made with a few simple ingredients swaps to make it lower calorie and nutritionally balanced for a tasty and filling meal. Gluten Free + Low Calorie
If you're craving a hearty, stick to your ribs dinner recipe, you came to the right place today! This healthy version of pasta fagioli is crazy delicious. It feeds a crowd and is made with inexpensive ingredients!
It's that kind of recipe that requires minimal prep and you can toss together easily too!
What Makes This Pasta e Fagioli Recipe Low Calorie and Better For You
Pasta fagioli is an Italian soup made with veggies, beans and pasta. While those foods are good for you, the recipe is quite high in carbohydrates and does not have enough protein to balance blood sugar.
I made the nutrition better balanced by adding lean ground meat and swapping regular pasta for high protein plant-based pasta and added more vegetables. These simple swaps, not only save you calories but are better for your metabolic hormones - leaving you more energized and with fewer cravings!
Ingredients To Make A Healthy Pasta e Fagioli
Here's what you need to make this healthy pasta fagioli recipe!
- Ground Turkey or lean ground meat of choice (I use ButcherBox)
- Carrots
- White Onion
- Garlic
- Chicken Broth
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Tomato Sauce
- Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
- Cannelli Beans
- Chickpea Pasta Elbows
- Italian Seasoning
- Parmesan Cheese
You will also need a large pot, cutting board, colander and knives.
How To Make Pasta e Fagioli Gluten Free
Making Healthy Pasta e Fagioli is very simple. You do need to prep the veggies, but you can make this fast and easy by roughly chopping your veggies in a small blender. I like to do this ahead of time so all the ingredients are ready to cook!
The first step is to sauté the veggies in the pot with the olive oil. Once the veggies are soft, add the ground meat and spices - break up the meat as it browns with a spatula.
Next add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with juices, chicken broth and pasta. Cover and bring the pot to a boil. Once the pot is boiling, reduce to a medium simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the parmesan, spinach and beans then serve!
Can You Make This Pasta e Fagioli Recipe In The Crockpot
Yes, you can make this pasta e fagioli in a slow cooker. I personally recommend using the stovetop. It's simple and fast! But if you love your crockpot (believe me - I love mine too!), you can give it a go.
I recommend you follow the steps as outlined in the recipe except do not add the pasta, beans and parmesan until 20 minutes before you're ready to eat. You can cook the other ingredients on low for 6 hours.
Can You Make Instant Pot Pasta e Fagioli
Yes, this pasta e fagioli recipe can be made in an Instant Pot. To do that, follows steps one and two as outlined in the recipe by using the sauté function on your Instant Pot.
When you get to step three, add the ingredients as outlined, then cover the pot and pressure cook 7 minutes. Note it will take time for the pot to come to pressure. After it cooks, carefully remove the lid and stir in the beans and parmesan.
Storing Pasta e Fagioli
Pasta e fagioli can be stored in a container in the refrigerator up to 7 days. You can reheat it in a crockpot, stove or microwave. Pasta e fagioli is thick and will not have the same consistency as soup. When you store your pasta e fagioli in the refrigerator, it will absorb some of the liquid. I recommend adding a little broth for reheating.
You can freeze pasta e fagioli, but note that the freezing may alter the consistency making it mushier. It will still taste delicious though!
Substitutions For Pasta e Fagioli
Here's a few substitutions you can make with the recipe. Keep in mind if you substitute any ingredients, it will change the nutrition values you see in the recipe below.
- Ground Turkey - Any lean meat can be substituted like ground chicken or lean ground beef.
- Chickpea Pasta - I highly recommend chickpea pasta or another plant-based pasta as they are higher in protein and are a good source of fiber. You can use a whole wheat pasta, but ensure it is whole grain or whole wheat not enriched wheat.
- Broth - Any broth may be used in the recipe.
- Beans - Any beans may be used. I recommend using canned beans. If you choose to use dry beans, cook them ahead of time before adding to the soup.
- Dairy Free - Omit the parmesan.
- Spinach - Parsley, basil, kale or any leafy greens can be added instead.
Healthy Pasta e Fagioli
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups carrots diced
- 1/2 cup white onion diced
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 lb ground turkey 98% lean
- 4 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 15 oz fire roasted diced tomatoes with juices
- 15 oz cannelli beans canned or beans of choice
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons parmesan grated
- 4 oz chickpea elbow pasta
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot to medium heat. Add the olive oil, carrots, onions and garlic. Cook 7 minutes until the carrots and other veggies are soft.
- Add the ground turkey with Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to the pot. Break up the meat with a spatula as it browns.
- Once the meat browns, add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with juices, chicken broth and chickpea elbow pasta. Cover and bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a medium simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove the cover and stir to check that the pasta is cooked. Drain the canned beans, and rinse then add to the pot with the parmesan and spinach. Stir to combine. Cook another 2-3 minutes then serve!
- Store the pasta e fagioli in the refrigerator up to 7 days or in the freezer up to 30 days.
Notes
- 1 serving equals about 1 1/2 cups
- My Amazon shop has more products similar to those used for this recipe and that I recommend to my weight loss clients.
- If you enjoy this recipe, check out my cookbook for more delicious recipes.
Nutrition
This is a staple in my home. Its super simple to make, comes together fast and BONUS my 3 year old loves it!
So glad you enjoy this recipe!
10/10!!!!! Did not expect to love this recipe so much, but I even woke up this morning thinking about it. We did add more pasta and omitted the cheese, but other than that followed the recipe. It’s phenomenal!
This was great, thanks so much for sharing it!!
WOW this was surprisingly delicious. I followed the instructions exactly as listed. Will be making this all winter.
Amazing recipe! We’ve made this a few times this past year and it never disappoints.
I am so huge Pasta e Fagioli fan. I was just recently diagnosed with high cholesterol and need to make some drastic changes. The only thing I did not add was the parm. Instead I sprinkle a little on when serving. This recipe was fantastic. Well be a regular on my menu. Thank you.