Preparation may be vegetarian, or contain meat (often bacon, ground beef, or pancetta) or a meat-based stock.

[citation needed] The recipe varies greatly based on the region or town in which it is prepared, depending on available ingredients.

Other varieties call for the beans to be passed through a food mill, giving it a stew-like consistency.

[citation needed] Pasta e ceci, a version replacing the beans with chickpeas, is common in Rome.

[5] "Pastafazoola", a 1927 novelty song by Van and Schenck, capitalises on the Neapolitan pronunciation in the rhyme "Don't be a fool, eat pasta fazool."