Pasta e Fagioli for Two
Make this perfect pasta e fagioli soup for two recipe when you don’t need a big pot of soup. It’s quick to make, but full of flavor.
Sometimes cutting down a family sized recipe to smaller amounts involves messy math when things don’t divide easily. With this soup recipe for two, you can easily make the smaller portion you actually need with wonderful results. This pasta e fagioli recipe is so satisfying and only takes about 20 minutes!
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
Why This Recipe Works For Two
While some recipes work out perfectly if you halve the ingredient list to make a smaller batch, others have you ending up with inconvenient amounts or the recipe just doesn’t turn out quite right. I don’t like when I end up with half a can of something leftover without a plan for it. Or sometimes your soup turns out more like a stew because of the adjusted amounts.
I’ve done the adjusting for you so that my easy homemade pasta e fagioli soup actually works for two. No need to guess and hope for the best! Just delicious soup in no time, in the smaller amount that you actually need.
Ingredient Tips For Smaller Portions
If you’re regularly making halved recipes to make it work for your smaller household, there are some things to keep in mind to make life easier.
I like to get the tomato paste in the tube that I can keep refrigerated. That way I can work my way through it, instead of only using one or two tablespoons from the little cans and then forgetting about the rest.
If you find yourself needing half a can of beans for something, see if there’s a frozen substitute that could work. When I make a bigger version of this soup, I like using a can of cannellini beans. But here, frozen lima beans work great and I can just grab the amount I need and leave the leftovers in the freezer for next time.
Print
Pasta e Fagioli for Two Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
DESCRIPTION
Make this perfect pasta e fagioli soup for two recipe when you don’t need a big pot of soup. It’s quick to make, but full of flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 strips bacon, chopped*
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped carrot
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 and 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup frozen beans, such as lima or soy
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/3 cup dry orzo (or other small pasta)
Instructions
- Set a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Remove all but 2 teaspoons of the bacon fat from the pot and discard.
- To the bacon in the saucepan add the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes (if using). Stir. Add the tomato paste and cook while stirring for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the stock, frozen beans, and salt. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir in the orzo. Once the liquid comes back to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, 7-9 minutes. Taste and add more salt, if desired.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
Notes
Christine is the founder of TheCookful and also of her blog COOKtheSTORY. Her passion is explaining the WHY behind cooking – Why should you cook things a certain way; Will they turn out if you do it differently; What are the pros and cons of the method? Learn more about Christine, her cookbooks, and her podcast.