Tuscan White Bean Soup

It seems like everyone I know is fighting some kind of respiratory virus this winter… myself included! And you know what absolutely hits the spot when you’re under the weather?

Soup! This bean soup is a fantastic meatless dinner, and even though it’s vegetarian, the beans add so much protein and fiber that will keep you full and satisfied.

But if you’re reading this and thinking to yourself, “I need more protein!”, fear not. As long as you or someone you’re serving this to aren’t vegan or vegetarian, you can add some other types of protein and even dairy to make this more to your tastes.

What do I need to make this recipe?

• Olive oil – this fat ensures the vegetables don’t stick to your pot, as well as adding a bit of flavor.
• Onion – I like to use a yellow onion, but a white onion would also work well.
• Carrots – rather than using baby carrots, I recommend picking up some traditional carrots and peeling them.
• Celery – a classic ingredient in soup recipes.
• Garlic – I believe in measuring garlic with your heart, so while I use 3 cloves, feel free to adjust this to your tastes.
• Broth – I prefer to use a reduced sodium vegetable broth, so I’m in control of the sodium content.
• Beans – cannellini beans are smooth and mild in flavor, while also being a bit creamy. Great Northern or navy beans are good alternatives.
• Kale – make sure you remove the stem from the kale and chop it small, so the pieces are around the same size as the other ingredients.
• Sun-dried tomatoes – I prefer the sun-dried tomatoes that are in oil, and just drain the tomatoes I’m using on a paper towel.
• Salt and pepper – kosher salt is highly recommended.
• Italian seasoning – use your favorite brand.

How to make tuscan white bean soup:

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Cook most of the veggies. Sautéing the onion, carrots, and celery for several minutes softens them and brings out their flavors.
2. Add garlic. The garlic is added after cooking the other veggies so it doesn’t burn.
3. Add other soup ingredients. No special order here, just add the rest of the ingredients called for.
4. Simmer. This soup doesn’t take long to cook, just about 15 minutes for all the flavors to really meld together.

Variations of this recipe

• Broth – instead of broth you can use a stock, and if you would like a non-vegetarian soup, you could use a chicken broth, stock, or bone broth.
• Kale – if you’d like, you can use half kale and half baby spinach, or all spinach, instead of using all kale.
• Beans – if you can’t find cannellini beans (they may be labeled as white kidney beans), you can use an equal amount of great northern beans or navy beans.
• Creamy – if you love a creamy bean soup, you can add about 1/2 to 1 cup of heavy cream towards the end (just make sure it gets to cook for a few minutes so it isn’t cold).
• Cheese – try sprinkling some freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the top of your bowl.
• Other protein – if you want to add additional sources of protein, and make this not a vegetarian recipe, you can brown some Italian sausage or diced chicken breasts before cooking the veggies.

Making bean soup ahead of time

Like most soups, this white bean soup is a great make ahead recipe!

You can also prep ahead in the following ways:

• Vegetables – the onion, carrots, and celery can be chopped and stored in the refrigerator. The garlic can be minced and refrigerated as well, but since it’s cooked in a separate step, I recommend storing it separately from the other veggies.
• Beans and tomatoes – one can of beans can be drained and rinsed, then stored in the refrigerator. The other can can be mashed and stored in the refrigerator. The sun-dried tomatoes can be chopped and refrigerated as well.
• Greens – the kale can be washed and chopped, then stored in the refrigerator.

Storage

Leftover soup should be refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoyed within 3-4 days.