Description
Instant Pot Pasta Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Bean Soup). Pasta Fazool is an Italian-American classic for a reason - it's a hearty meal in a bowl.
Ingredients
Scale
Soaked beans
- 1 pound dry cannellini or great northern beans, sorted and rinsed
- 8 cups water (for soaking)
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled, halved, and cut into ½ inch slices
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 8 cups water
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 whole head of garlic, roots trimmed off
- 1 Parmesan rind (optional)
- Stems from ½ bunch of parsley (leaves saved for accompaniments)
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 8 ounces small dried pasta (I used ditalini pasta)
- 1½ teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Accompaniments
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Minced fresh parsley leaves
- Red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Sort and rinse the beans: Sort the dry cannellini beans, discarding any stones, dirt, or broken beans. Rinse the beans, then do an overnight or a quick soak.
- Overnight soak: Cover the beans with 8 cups of water, and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt. Leave the beans to soak at least 8 hours, or overnight. Drain and discard the soaking liquid.
- OR: Pressure Quick Soak for 1 minute with a 30 minute rest: Put the beans and 8 cups of water in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt. Pressure cook at high pressure for 1 minute (“Manual”, “Pressure Cook”, or "Pressure Cook - Custom" mode in an Instant Pot). Let the beans soak in the pot for 30 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure. Drain the beans and discard the soaking liquid. (Wipe out the pot if you are re-using it in the next step.)
- Saute the aromatics: Heat the olive oil in an Instant Pot using sauté mode set to high (or medium-high heat in a stovetop pressure cooker) until the oil is shimmering. Add the onion, celery, carrots, red pepper flakes, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Saute until the onions are softened and starting to brown about 8 minutes.
- Everything in the pot: Add the drained beans to the pot, then stir in the water and canned tomatoes. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to make sure nothing is sticking. Add the Parmesan rind and head of garlic to the pot. Tie the parsley stems and rosemary sprig into a bundle, and add it to the pot.
- Pressure cook for 18 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 18 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker, or for 15 minutes in a stovetop PC. (In an Instant Pot, use “Manual”, “Pressure Cook”, or "Pressure Cook - Custom" mode set for 18 minutes). Let the pressure release naturally, about 20 minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.) Remove the lid carefully, opening away from you - even when it's not under pressure, the steam in the cooker is very hot.
- Cook the pasta: Fish out the herb bundle, head of garlic, and Parmesan rind, and discard. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode adjusted to high (or turn the heat to high for a stovetop cooker) and bring the pot back to a simmer. Stir in the 2 teaspoons of salt and the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender, about 9 minutes. (Check the box of pasta for the cooking time.) Stir in the black pepper and balsamic vinegar.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and serve, passing the accompaniments at the table. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian