Italian-American · main

Pasta Fagioli with Italian Sausage

Pasta Fagioli with Italian Sausage reads umami 7.4, richness 5.5 and salinity 5.2 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Italian-American main, about 49 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 8.2 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 4.2 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 2.4 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.0 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 6.1 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.5 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.4 · Richness 5.5 · Salinity 5.2 · Allium 4.0 · Sweetness 3.6 · Funk & Ferment 2.5 · Herbaceous 2.3 · Sourness 2.2 · Nutty 2.0 · Heat 2.0 · Fruity 1.9 · Earthy 1.8 · Warm Spice 1.6 · Bitterness 1.0 · Floral 0.7 · Citrus 0.7

What's in it (16)

• sweet italian sausage — 454 g
• olive oil — 27 g
• yellow onion — 110 g
• carrots — 120 g
• celery — 80 g
• garlic — 12 g
• tomato paste — 30 g
• tomatoes — 794 g
• low-salt chicken broth — 946 g
• cannellini bean — 851 g
• parmesan reggiano grated — 57 g
• salt — 5 g
• red chili flakes — 3 g
• ditali — 227 g
• parsley — 7 g
• parmesan cheese — 57 g

Time & effort: about 49 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 64.9 kcal, 4.2 g protein, 2.2 g fat, 7.1 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, breaking it into small pieces with a spoon, and cook until deeply browned and no longer pink, 7-8 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot.
2. Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the fat in the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and the onion is translucent, 6-7 minutes.
3. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, until the paste darkens slightly and smells toasty, about 1-2 minutes.
4. Mash about half of one can of the beans against the side of the pot with a spoon until roughly pureed; this is what thickens the broth without any flour or cream. Stir the mashed and whole beans into the pot along with the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, Parmesan rind, the browned sausage and any accumulated juices, the salt, and the red pepper flakes.
5. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer until the vegetables are fully tender and the flavors meld, 25 minutes, stirring every so often.
6. During the last 10 minutes of the soup's simmer, bring a separate large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the ditalini and cook until al dente according to the package timing, about 9 minutes, then drain.
7. Fish out and discard the Parmesan rind. Taste the soup and adjust the salt as needed.
8. Stir the drained pasta into the soup just before serving rather than cooking it in the pot, so it stays al dente instead of turning mushy and swelling as the soup sits.
9. Ladle into bowls and top with the grated Parmesan and chopped parsley.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Italian Sausage and White Bean Stew — Italian-American
• Baked Stuffed Peppers with Sausage and Rice — Italian-American
• Baked Stuffed Peppers with Beef and Rice — American
• Spaghetti and Meatballs — Italian-American
• Turkey Meatballs in Marinara over Spaghetti — Italian-American

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

See how this dish fits your palate — take the short taste test →

Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.