Pasta e Fagioli for the Hall

Big-pot Italian bean, beef, and pasta soup

• Prep: 20 min
• Cook: 45 min
• Serves 8
• Difficulty: easy

Ground beef, beans, vegetables, tomatoes, and small pasta simmer into a satisfying one-pot dinner.

Why crews like it: It is inexpensive, freezer-friendly, and forgiving if the meal is interrupted.

Ingredients

• 3.2 lb ground beef
• 2.4 lb small pasta
• 5 cans cannellini beans
• 3 cans crushed tomatoes
• 11.2 cups beef broth
• 1.6 lb carrots

Instructions

1. Heat pot: Heat a large heavy pot over medium-high and add a small amount of oil.
2. Brown beef: Cook ground beef in batches, breaking it up and draining excess fat when browned.
3. Check beef: Verify the beef reaches 165°F before adding ready-to-eat ingredients.
4. Soften vegetables: Cook onion, carrots, and celery in the same pot until they soften and smell sweet.
5. Build broth: Add tomatoes, beans, broth, Italian seasoning, and browned beef, scraping the pot bottom.
6. Simmer base: Simmer gently for 20 minutes; a hard boil can break beans and reduce liquid too fast.
7. Cook pasta: Stir in pasta and cook at a gentle simmer, stirring often so it does not stick.
8. Adjust texture: Add hot broth if pasta absorbs too much liquid before it is tender.
9. Hold safely: Keep soup above 140°F, adding broth before holding because pasta continues to swell.
10. Serve soup: Ladle soup into bowls and top with parmesan and parsley just before eating.
11. Hold for call interruptions: If tones drop mid-cook: turn off direct heat and cover Ground beef — hold at 140°F in a warm cabinet or 200°F oven, never below 140°F for more than 30 minutes cumulative. Log hold time on the pan with a grease pencil. If tones drop after service, cover hot food and keep sides on low heat or ice as appropriate. On return, spot-check proteins at safe internal temp before reopening the line.
12. Pack down leftovers safely: Cool Ground beef and hot components in a shallow baking dish within two hours — food left out too long isn't safe to eat. Label with date; reheat proteins to 165°F minimum before second shift. Store cold components separately so textures survive overnight.

Tonight's spread

• Main: Pasta e fagioli
• Sides: garlic bread, Caesar salad
• Condiments: parmesan, red pepper flakes, olive oil
• Set hot components closest to the crew; cold crunch and toppings at the far end of the line.
• Keep a backup tray at 200°F for firefighters returning from a run.

Hall tips

• Cook pasta separately if holding longer than 30 minutes.
• Use low-sodium broth to control salt.
• Add spinach at the end if available.

Substitutions

• Use ground turkey for beef.
• Use ditalini or elbow pasta.

Meal prep

Make-ahead: make soup base 2 days ahead; cook pasta fresh. Storage: refrigerate 3 days. Reheating: heat soup to 165°F.

Leftovers

• Cool Ground beef in shallow pans within two hours; label with date and reheat to 165°F before second shift.
• Store cold sides separately — hot and cold stacked overnight ruins texture.
• Freeze without pasta for best texture.

• large stockpot
• ladle
• thermometer

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