Hearty Fagioli al Forno -Italian Baked Beans - is a popular Northern Italian Dish. In honor of my mamma who really loved Pasta Fagioli, we decided to add pasta to the baked beans recipe and make it even better. Canned cannellini beans make the baked beans dish quick and easy. Fresh fragrant sage leaves, aromatic garlic, and spicy sausage makes this satisfying dish a meal in itself.
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❤️ Why we love this recipe
- Italian baked beans with pasta is a budget-friendly dish that can be enjoyed as a complete meal.
- This recipe turns a classic bean soup into a baked pasta dish - comfort food at its best!
- This one-pot Fagioli Al Forno can be made with little effort in less than an hour.
The fresh sage and smoked sausage turn an ordinary baked beans dish into a hearty and satisfying Fagioli al Forno.
🛒 Ingredients
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Note: The full list of this recipe ingredients with their amounts and options are listed in the recipe card below.
- Cannellini beans
- Fire roasted diced tomatoes
- garlic
- onion
- fresh sage leaves
- fresh thyme
- red pepper flakes
- smoked sausage
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- orecchiette pasta - or your pasta of choice.
🗒 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven with garlic and sage leaves for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the onions with the sprig of thyme. Saute for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the smoked sausage.
- Cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the fire-roasted tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes.
- Add the beans with juice and red pepper flakes.
- Mix in the pasta. Cover with a lid and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, stir, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Return it to the oven, uncovered, and cook for another 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 7 - 8 minutes before serving.
🔪 Equipment
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You’ll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
- Dutch oven
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Pasta pot
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- This dish can be served hot or at room temperature.
- Use a Dutch oven or similar oven-safe pan that has a lid. This will save you from having to clean extra pots or casserole dishes.
- You can make this Fagioli al Forno in advance by assembling the dish right up until the point of mixing in the pasta before baking. Allow it to cool before covering it with plastic cling wrap and store it in the fridge or freezer to bake later. It may be a little cumbersome to store a large baking dish but it’s an option. Add a few extra minutes of baking time to account for the chilled ingredients.
- I’ve used fresh herbs in this dish because that’s my preference. If you use dried herbs, remember to halve the amount called for since dried herbs are more concentrated and intense in flavor.
📚 Variations
- I’ve used canned beans for convenience but you could soak and cook dried beans for this dish if you prefer. To prepare dry beans, first wash and rinse the beans and then add them to a pot of water where they are fully submerged. Bring the pot to a boil for a few minutes and then allow the beans to soak for at least an hour.
- Make this dish vegetarian by omitting the sausage. You won’t get that smokey flavor but it’ll still be incredibly delicious.
- For the smoked meat we used kielbasa since we already had it, but you can use any smoked meat you like.
- This Fagioli al Forno works well with Navy beans and Cannellini beans but you can also use different varieties of white beans.
- For a little kick of heat to your Italian baked beans, use a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes instead of fire-roasted tomatoes which are not spicy at all.
🥫 Storage
Once completely cool, store leftover Fagioli al Forno in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Reheat single portions in the microwave or larger portions on the stovetop.
You can also store leftovers in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Italian fagioli background
If you look up popular Italian peasant food you'll find beans. But, during the Renaissance, Catherine de Medici wanted to refine Italian cuisine, so beans fell out of favor with the nobility and the sophisticated city dwellers.
Only, the poor couldn't be particular -- they still made their bean dishes. Affordable and delicious!
It wasn't long before before beans became popular again. You know, when something tastes good and is good for you it eventually comes back into vogue.
In Tuscany, beans are such a staple in the regional cuisine that the Tuscans have the nickname of " beaneaters", although beans are eaten all over Italy.
📗 Related Recipes
If you’re looking for more ways to incorporate inexpensive beans into your family meals, consider trying these satisfying dishes:
- Tuscan White Bean Soup - This soup is also made with Cannellini beans, veggies, and Italian sausage.
- Ultimate Baked Beans - These sweet and smoky baked beans make the ultimate side dish for any summer cookout!
- Chili Con Carne - This spicy soup is made with ground and chopped beef, pinto beans, and tomatoes.
🍽 Serve with
Italian baked beans is a complete meal on its own but can also be enjoyed with a side of garlic bread, flaky biscuits, or a light green salad.
Fagioli are versatile and nutritious
Some delicious ways you can serve beans:
- In soups such as ham and beans
- As an appetizer like white bean hummus
- In a salad such as pinto bean salad or three bean salad
- In sweets, black bean brownies, or chocolate pumpkin muffins
- Baked with meat and pasta
- As a spread on crostini
- Made into a patty and put in a sandwich
- At breakfast as a faux sausage link
- served as a basis of a hearty salad such as tonno e fagioli (tuna and beans).
You can make so many delicious and nutritious dishes with beans. Here is an excellent article if you want to read more about the nutrition and health benefits of beans.
One very popular Tuscan dish is fagioli all'uccelletto (beans cooked like little birds). The recipe consists of cooking cannellini beans then combining them with chopped garlic, fresh sage leaves and tomatoes and simmered for about 15 minutes, until tender and fragrant. The dish is sometimes served with coarse country sausage.
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
For this Italian baked beans recipe we opted for canned beans. We used one can cannellini and one can pinto beans.
You can also make this into a vegetarian recipe by just omitting the sausage. . . it will still taste good but not as great as with the smoked meat.
Fresh sage leaves flavor the beans along with garlic, onion, and thyme which is very popular in Italy.
For the smoked meat we used kielbasa since we already had it, but you can use any smoked meat you like.
The Italians have a saying: La fame è il miglior cuoco che ci sia { Hunger is (makes) the best cook}.
Tutti a tavolo, è pronto!
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Fagioli al Forno - Italian Baked Beans recipe
Simple ingredients and ordinary seasonings combine to make some of the most delicious dishes.
An economical dish that is satisfying as a meal by itself. The canned beans make this recipe easy and quick although you could start the day before by using dried beans that you soak and cook. The fresh sage and smoked sausage is the secret to the hearty satisfying taste of the fagioli al forno.
Next time try our Tuscan White Bean Soup recipe using cannellini beans. The taste is amazing and the perfect dish for a cold wintry evening. And if you're searching for a meatless dinner or pasta side dish, our One Pot Chickpeas with Pasta recipe is a family favorite.
If you're looking for another authentic Baked pasta dish, try out our Ziti Al Forno recipe. It's a family favorite and you can prepare it ahead of time.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
📖 Recipe
Fagioli al Forno - Italian Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 2 cans 15 oz. cannellini beans *
- 1 can 14 oz. fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ medium onion chopped
- 3 fresh sage leaves
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 oz. smoked sausage cut in half and then into ¼" half moons**
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 oz. dry pasta cooked according to package directions to just below al dente - it will continue to cook in the baked beans.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a Dutch oven heat the oil over medium heat and saute the garlic and sage leaves for 3-4 minutes until garlic is tender but not brown. Add the onions with the sprig of thyme. Continue to saute for another 5 minutes.
- Stir in the smoked sausage and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the fire roasted tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes. Pour in the beans with its juice and add the red pepper flakes.
- Mix in the pasta and cover the dish with a lid or foil, and place in the center of the heated oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the dish from the oven, stir the beans, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Return the beans to the oven, uncovered, and cook for another 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 7 - 8 minutes before serving. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Notes
- * We used one can of cannellini and one can of pinto beans.
- ** We used kielbasa just because we already had it.
Nutrition
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Le Creuset Stoneware Casserole with Lid - This is really handy to have with a lid that won't let the contents leak.
Cannellini beans -- this is a staple in our pantry. We love adding them to soups.
Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life
This sounds amazing! We're big fans of pasta fagioli in this family, so I bet we'd love these baked beans!
Emily Leary
This looks amazing and combines some of my favourite things! I'd absolutely love to try it. Adding to my meal plan for this week.
Tina
What a great, hearty meal. I always felt like sausage and beans go together, your version looks and sounds amazing. Ah, the benefits of growing up in an Italian home. Thanks for this recipe!
Jagruti
We love pasta in our house and I am loving the flavours that you included! I will have to try it out!
Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
I've done my fair share of bacon with beans, but sausage with beans sounds great! This looks like total comfort food - perfect for this fall weather.
Jenni LeBaron
These seriously look so good! I love a good pot of baked beans, but you've really elevated the flavor with these Italian seasonings, tomatoes, and smoked sausage.
Mirlene
This recipe looks so good. I love comfort food and these baked beans are exactly just that - pure comfort! Can't wait to try this recipe.
Allison - Celebrating Sweets
This is the type of cold weather comfort food that I crave in fall and winter. Looking forward to trying this soon!
Valerie
I do enjoy pasta fagioli from time to time. This sounds like a tasty variation that would be a warming and hearty comfort food for cooler fall weather.
Veena Azmanov
I cannot wait to try this baked beans, Italian style. I love chorizo sausages so I know this would be really a huge hit in our home. My Aadi would enjoy this very much.
Elaine Benoit
This baked beans recipe looks scrumptious! I usually sprint away from baked beans (Boston) since I find them too sweet! I love all the flavors you're using and you really can't beat sausages and pasta added to this dish!
Jyothi (Jo)
Love baked beans, love pasta, love all things Italian. How delicious and comforting is that baked beans. I bet this would be favorite fall dinner any day.
Veena Azmanov
This is pure comfort food. I love how simple and easy this is. I love having beans in winter months because I made bean soups a lot. Can't wait to try this one. I can almost smell the flavors.
Mahy Elamin
I love bean recipes. yessss! This is the perfect recipe for me. Looks VERY tasty! It look so yummy!
Michelle
I miss living in NY/NJ as good italian food like this was never too far. Glad to now be able to make my own 🙂
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness
I love baked beans, but have never made it myself. This looks so good!! Definitely adding this to my to-do list
Renz
You can never beat pasta and sausage. This looks yummy. Perfect sit on the couch and watch a movie food. Comforting
Claudia Lamascolo
Of course this is a staple we grew up on in our homes, but I love the fact you used my favorite pasta in this and fire roasted tomatoes. This must be the tastiest fazool ever!
Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens
I always enjoy your cultural and historical tidbits - always gives such a terrific background and sense of place to each recipe! I adore the addition of pasta here, too - I'm a true pasta lover, so I'm happy to work it in wherever I can LOL! So hearty and nutritious, too! Another fabulous post!
Kelly Anthony
This looks crazy comforting! Oh how I wish I had a bowl right now! I love the pasta and sausage in there too!
Swathi
This one of the filling meal, love anything with beans with pasta soup bowl is perfect and full of flavors from sausage to tomato and herbs yum.
Teri
This is the kind of recipe that makes me wish I had grown up in an Italian home. This looks so yummy to me. I love all of the ingredients and it seems like such a comforting and flavorful meal to me. Thank you for sharing another wonderful recipe!
Ashley - Forking Up
I never thought of baked beans having an Italian counterpart--that is too cool! The flavors here look great.
Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh
I really enjoy cooking with sausage. This dish sounds like a hearty and comforting meal. I love that you used fire roasted tomatoes. Yum!
Adriana Lopez Martin
What a comforting dish I love pasta e fagioli soup so I bet this is similar but baked in the oven. Love the shape of the pasta you used too. Great idea for an east fall weekday dinner.
Melissa
This is a perfect dish for the cooler weather ahead, especially with that smoked sausage...mmm!!! We make Pasta Fagioli as it was a favorite for my hubby that his mom used to make so this would be a nice twist for us to enjoy! Thanks
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
I LOVE all kinds of baked beans. With comfort food season just around the corner, these will be perfect on a cold winter day after snow shoeing. Add a glass a wine, a warm fire....and I will be asleep in minutes!!
Mari
My folks would say, we're allways in for the bean! 😉 Especially baked and spiced nicely, as you did here. Thank you for this great idea!
Veena Azmanov
Oh this looks so delicious Marisa !! I love beans and I love the way you made these. I love such food in winter - a bowl of beans cooked to perfection and crusty bread ... cold winter night.. going to try this for sure. Saving this for now. Yum.
Simply Suzannes at Home
Good morning, Marisa!
Your comment brought me lots of smiles today, so I wanted to come by and say thank you!!
I hope you have a fantastic weekend!
Suzanne
Aisha
It looks good and I'm pretty sure it tastes good. I remember we've had such a good food in Tuscany when we traveled there.
Marisa Franca
It is very good -- a lot like comfort food -- common but delicious. I hope you try it and let me know how you like it.
Simply Suzannes at Home
Hi Marisa!
This dish sounds amazing! I've never heard of it before, but the combination of ingredients sounds delicious . . . creamy cannellini beans, tender pasta, spicy kick from the pepper flakes and fire roasted tomatoes, and the smoky meat . . . YUM!!
It also looks like it could be the perfect base for tender shredded beef. That might make it a little more American?
LOVE your version though! Totally printing this recipe to make SOON!!!
Thanks so much for sharing!
Have a wonderful weekend,
Suzanne
Marisa Franca
I think the shredded beef would be great. This type of recipe you could add any kind of protein that your wanted. How about sending us some of your warm, sunny weather?? Hope you have a wonderful weekend, too!
Rosemary @anitalianinmykitchen
Hi Marisa, another amazing recipe, I love beans and especially with added pasta. Looks delicious. Have a great day!
Jovina Coughlin
Looks like a wonderful bean dish made your way. Lots of terrific ingredients. Beans are so good for you and they taste good, especially when made like this.
Marisa Franca
They taste good and are so versatile. We never get tired of eating them.
Ambra Sancin
I make something very similar to this. I sometimes use Spanish chorizo sausages too, very nice. I like to use fresh Borlotti beans, but they are so expensive at the beginning of the season, it's not very economical by the time you've thrown away the shells.
Marisa Franca
I'll have to try the Borlotti beans if I can find them. We do enjoy our fagioli!
Lily Lau
Italians know their stuff with these awesome recipes! 😀 Thanks for sharing these fagioli with us!
Marisa Franca
You are very welcome! We do enjoy cooking and of course eating 🙂