Vegan creamy pasta e fagioli is the stuff plant-based dreams are made of. Blending white bean and pasta with sundried tomatoes and kale, this Italian bean and pasta soup is made creamy with homemade cashew cream for the perfect vegan treat on a cold night.
Try my delicious potatoes and rice next!
Pasta e fagioli is a delicious and cozy staple of Italian cuisine, and it typically has tomatoes in it. White pasta e fagioli is also a thing. It is creamier and, dare I say, even more delicious. It's also the perfect option if you're someone who could do without the acidity of tomatoes in a soup.
But to make creamy pasta fagioli, you'd typically need some sort of dairy, often in the form of double cream. What's a vegan to do? Use cashew cream instead, of course.
How do you make the vegan cashew cream?
You can find cashew cream or various kinds of plant-based creams in the supermarkets, but it's so easy to make your own that I don't bother with those anymore unless I've had an extremely busy day and forgot to soak cashews.
All you need to do for the perfect homemade vegan cashew cream is soak 150 g (1 cup) of raw cashew nuts for a couple of hours or overnight, then use a high-power blender together with ½ cup (125 ml) water. You can also add a pinch of salt if you want.
And that's it. You can use the cashew cream just like you would do with double cream - in soups like this pasta fagioli, in pasta, and basically in any sauce that you'd like to be silky creamy.
For another cucina povera classic, my Italian chickpea and bean soup comes from the same humble, make-do-with-the-pantry tradition.
What do you need to make this vegan creamy pasta e fagioli?
Besides the vegan cashew cream, you only need a handful of ingredients. Just as a quick disclaimer - this is not your traditional Italian pasta fagioli recipe, but a version I've developed and tweaked over the years.
It's something that I basically make whenever I don't have much time / can't be bothered to cook something complicated but still feel like a cozy bowl of goodness would be in order.
Cannellini beans - the secret to making this white pasta fagioli is to use quality tinned cannellini beans together with their liquid. If you want to use dry beans that you've soaked overnight, you'll need to boil them first until they are tender like those in tins, and then use them in the soup. Don't forget to add extra stock or water to make up for the liquid from the tins.
Sun-dried tomatoes - these elevate the flavour of the soup to the next level. You can use dry or oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, depending on what you have on hand. If you use oil-packed ones, pat them dry with some kitchen paper first to get rid of some of the oil.
Pasta - you need some small pasta for this recipe - elbow or ditalini both work great. You don't need to cook the pasta before adding it to the soup.
Italian seasoning - the ingredients in this can vary depending on the brand you use, but it typically has a blend of oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme and possibly sage. You can substitute it by using ¼ teaspoon of each of these herbs instead.
How do you make this pasta e fagioli?
This is a one-pot recipe, and it only requires very little hands-on time.
- You start by heating the olive oil and fry the onion and garlic, then add the sundried tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients pretty much one after another.
- When everything's in the pot, you bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the pasta is cooked and the beans are tender.
- During the last 2-3 minutes, add the kale and put a lid on so it wilts a bit.
- The vegan cashew cream goes in last after you turned off the heat.
Recipe notes & tips
- If you don't want the beans to have a bit of a bite and like them on the mushier side, add everything but the pasta to the pot, simmer for 10 minutes, then put in the pasta and simmer for another 15 minutes.
- You can play with the herbs and make this vegan pasta fagioli your own. Use fresh herbs instead of dried ones or add a bay leaf.
- You can substitute the kale with baby spinach - you'll only have to cook that for a minute, as it wilts so much quicker than kale.
Loved this vegan creamy pasta e fagioli recipe? Then why not have a look at some of my other easy vegan recipes?
Creamy Vegan Artichoke and Spinach Pasta
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Vegan Creamy Pasta e Fagioli
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3.5 oz (100 g) sundried tomatoes, chopped
- 2.5 oz (75 g) pasta
- 2 cans (14 oz / 400 g) cannellini beans, with their liquid
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) crushed chilli
- 4 cups (1000 ml) vegetable stock
- 3.5 oz (100 g) kale
- 2.5 oz (75 g) vegan cream
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil and fry the onion for 2-3 minutes until it softens. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.2 tbsp olive oil2 medium onions4 garlic cloves
- Add the sundried tomatoes and continue to cook for another minute. Next, stir in the Italian seasoning and crushed chilli, and then add the beans to the pot together with their liquid.3.5 oz sundried tomatoes1 tsp Italian seasoning½ tsp crushed chilli2 cans (14 oz / 400 g) cannellini beans
- Add the uncooked pasta to the pot and pour the stock over the contents. Give it a good stir and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the pasta is cooked and the beans are tender.2.5 oz pasta4 cups vegetable stock
- Add the chopped kale to the pot and simmer with a lid on for 2-3 minutes until it wilts. Stir in the vegan cream and season to taste. Serve hot on its own or with some crusty bread if you like.3.5 oz kale2.5 oz vegan cream
Jayme
Spectacular! So flavorful and easy.
Paris
Thank you!
Jackie R.
This recipe is delicious! I made it exactly as written, and I even made the vegan cream! I added a half cup of it to the recipe since it was just easier to measure that way. OMG the soup was amazing. The vegan cream does something to the consistency that makes it thicker and silkier. It is better than adding heavy cream (from what I recall of dairy products, anyway!). It all goes together quickly, though I suggest making the cream the day before if you need to be speedy. This is officially my favorite soup recipe now.
Claudia
I made this today with dried kidney beans, soaked and cooked in the Instant Pot, and homemade vegan cashew cream. The wonderful flavor was enhanced with the juice of a half lemon. Highly recommend.
Paris
I'm so glad you liked it!
Violets Vegan Comics
Looks delicious 🙂
Paris
Thank you! It really was:)