Freezing Pasta E Fagioli

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Nigella's Pasta E Fagioli (from NIGELLA BITES) is a hearty soup made with borlotti beans and small pasta shapes. It is perfect bowlfood for chillier, more Autumnal weather. The soup, once cooled, can be stored in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days. The soup can also be frozen, either in a large batch or in individual portions, for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup overnight in the fridge before using and use within 24 hours of defrosting.

When reheating the soup (whether chilled or after defrosting) you may need to add an extra splash of water as the soup will thicken quite a lot as it cools. Reheat the soup over a medium heat, stirring frequently, until piping hot. The pasta will be softer on reheating so if you are making the soup deliberately as a batch (rather than freezing leftovers) you could make it up to the point where you add the pasta but not actually add the pasta. Cool this soup base and freeze it in portions, then after defrosting reheat the soup base to boiling point (adding a little extra water if necessary), add the appropriate amount of pasta and cook following the timings on the packet. If you freeze the soup in 8 portions then you would need to add 25g/1 ounce of pasta for each portion.