Peasant soup is a hearty Italian bean and pasta soup with cannellini beans, potatoes and broken spaghetti, ready in about 40 minutes. It feeds 4, uses plain pantry ingredients, and makes a filling weeknight dinner.
Why This Recipe Works
Half the beans go in whole and the other half get mashed to a pulp with a fork. The mashed beans melt into the stock and thicken it, so the soup tastes creamy without any cream. The whole beans keep some bite.
The garlic cooks gently in the oil before anything else goes in. Sweating it, not browning it, keeps the garlic sweet and mild. The vegetables then pick up that flavor as you toss them in the pot.
The spaghetti is broken into short pieces and cooked right in the soup. It gives off a little starch as it softens, which makes the broth a bit fuller. Short pieces also fit on a spoon next to the beans and diced vegetables.
Peasant Soup Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and diced
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 2 (13-ounce) cans cannellini or borlotti beans, drained
- 7 ounces munnezzaglia or spaghetti, broken into pieces
- 1 small chili pepper, finely chopped
- 2 basil leaves, shredded
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
How To Make Peasant Soup
Start the soup base
- Sweat the garlic: Warm the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over low to medium heat. Add the garlic and cook it gently so it softens and smells sweet without browning.
- Add the vegetables: Add the carrot, potatoes, celery and tomato. Toss them well in the oil so every piece is coated.
- Simmer in stock: Pour in the 5 cups of chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the beans and pasta
- Add half the beans: Stir in half of the drained beans so they stay whole and give the soup some bite.
- Mash the rest: Mash the remaining beans to a pulp with the back of a fork. Add them to the pot, so they thicken the broth.
- Add pasta and flavor: Stir in the broken pasta, the chili and the shredded basil. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Cook gently: Cook gently for another 8 minutes. Stir from time to time, so the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Finish and serve: Ladle the soup into bowls. Trickle the tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over the top.
Recipe Tips
- Peel the tomato easily: Drop the tomato into boiling water for 30 seconds, then the skin slips off. Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds before dicing.
- Stir the pot often: The mashed beans and the pasta starch both settle on the bottom. Stirring every minute or two keeps the soup from scorching.
- Control the heat: The chili is small but it is the only heat in the pot. Remove the seeds for a mild soup, or leave them in for a stronger kick.
- Season at the end: Canned beans and stock both carry salt. Taste the soup before the last stir and add salt only if it needs it.
What To Serve With Peasant Soup
Serve the soup hot in wide bowls with crusty bread for soaking up the broth. A simple green salad with lemon dressing makes a light side.
How To Store
- Fridge: Keep leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The pasta keeps absorbing broth, so the soup will be thicker the next day.
- Reheat: Warm it in a pot over medium heat and add a splash of water or stock to loosen it. Heat until it is hot all the way through.
- Freezer: The soup freezes for 2 to 3 months, though the pasta turns softer after thawing. Thaw it in the fridge, not on the counter.
FAQs
Can I use a different pasta for peasant soup?
Yes. Small shapes like ditalini or elbow macaroni work well and need no breaking. Check the package time, since the soup only simmers the pasta for about 8 minutes.
Can I make peasant soup vegetarian or vegan?
The recipe is not vegetarian as written, because it uses chicken stock. Swap in vegetable stock and it becomes vegetarian. Check that your pasta has no egg, and it is vegan too.
Can I make peasant soup ahead of time?
Yes. The flavors settle after a night in the fridge. The pasta will soak up broth, so add a little water or stock when you reheat it.
Why is my soup too thick or sticking to the pot?
Mashed beans and pasta starch both thicken the broth as it cooks. Stir often and add a splash of hot stock or water until it looks the way you like it.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.
- Calories: about 470 kcal
- Total Fat: 12g
- Total Carbohydrate: 74g
- Dietary Fiber: 14g
- Protein: 18g
Peasant Soup
4
servings15
minutes25
minutes40
minutesPeasant soup with cannellini beans, diced vegetables and broken spaghetti in a bean-thickened chicken broth. A filling Italian soup for 4, finished with a trickle of olive oil.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and diced
5 cups chicken stock
2 (13-ounce) cans cannellini or borlotti beans, drained
7 ounces munnezzaglia or spaghetti, broken into pieces
1 small chili pepper, finely chopped
2 basil leaves, shredded
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Sweat the garlic: Warm the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over low to medium heat. Add the garlic and cook it gently so it softens and smells sweet without browning.
- Add the vegetables: Add the carrot, potatoes, celery and tomato. Toss them well in the oil so every piece is coated.
- Simmer in stock: Pour in the 5 cups of chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add half the beans: Stir in half of the drained beans so they stay whole and give the soup some bite.
- Mash the rest: Mash the remaining beans to a pulp with the back of a fork. Add them to the pot, so they thicken the broth.
- Add pasta and flavor: Stir in the broken pasta, the chili and the shredded basil. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Cook gently: Cook gently for another 8 minutes. Stir from time to time, so the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Finish and serve: Ladle the soup into bowls. Trickle the tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over the top.
