Pasta e fagioli, meaning “pasta and beans”, is a traditional Italian dish.Like many other Italian favorites, including pizza and polenta, the dish started as a peasant dish, being composed of inexpensive ingredients.

It is often called pasta fasul (fazool) in the United States, a phonetic corruption of its Neapolitan name, pasta e fasule.While dish varies from region to region it is most commonly made using cannellini beans, Great Northern beans or borlotti beans and a small variety of pasta…
The base typically includes olive oil, garlic, minced onion, celery, carrots and often stewed tomatoes or tomato paste.The recipe varies greatly based on the region or town in which it is prepared, depending on available ingredients. The consistency of the dish can vary, with some being soupy, while others are much thicker.

For instance, in Bari the dish is thicker in consistency and uses mixed pasta shapes. It also uses pancetta in the base of the sauce.