Tuscan White Bean Soup is easy to make and delicious! This hearty soup is loaded with veggies and made in under an hour. (Vegetarian too!)
When you want a cozy dinner but are short on time, this Tuscan White Bean Soup is a must try.
Unlike other soups that need to simmer for a long time, this soup comes together in under an hour. There isn’t much chopping or prep work required and it has a rich flavor!
If you’re craving something comforting that’s also light and delicious – this is for you!
Looking for more vegetarian-friendly soup recipes? Try our Minestrone Soup, Butternut Squash Soup, or 15 Bean Soup!
why we love this Cannellini Bean Soup recipe
There is a lot to love about this white bean soup recipe. It’s one of our favorite healthy dinners because it’s:
- Super Quick To Make: The soup comes together in under an hour when made on the stove! However, you can also make it in your crockpot or instant pot if you prefer!
- Vegetarian: This soup is loaded with delicious veggies in a vegetable broth. Perfect for those following a vegetarian diet or just wanting a meat-free meal.
- Easy To Customize: Whether you want to add protein, try a different white bean, or add extra veggies, this recipe is so easy to customize depending on what ingredients you have on hand and your taste preferences!
Ingredient Notes
For this Tuscan white bean soup you’ll need:
- olive oil – I always use extra virgin olive oil.
- onion, garlic
- carrots, celery
- Italian seasoning, fresh thyme, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
- cannellini beans – great northern beans will also work
- vegetable broth- you can also use chicken or beef broth
- kale – make sure to wash it well!
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR TUSCAN BEAN SOUP
Olive Oil: You can substitute avocado oil, butter, or ghee.
Add Meat: Add ground sausage, chicken thighs/breasts, or ground beef to this recipe for extra protein. For ground meat, brown the meat before sauteing vegetables. For chicken breasts add them in when you add the broth, cook for at least 15 minutes, then remove, shred with 2 forks, and return to the pot. You could also use Instant Pot Shredded Chicken.
Broth: Broth and stock are the same thing! You can use any broth or stock interchangeably. Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, or vegetable broth all work interchangeably. I always use low or no salt broth.
Vegetables: Feel free to add other vegetables you love. Spinach, zucchini, or diced tomatoes are great options.
Creamy White Bean Soup: You can use an immersion blender to partially blend the soup while it’s in the pot. This will break down some of the beans and veggies, creating a thicker consistency.
Add lemon: A squeeze of fresh lemon juice just before serving can brighten up the flavors and balance the soup’s richness.
Add pasta: Add cooked rice or small pasta shapes like orzo to make the soup more filling. Adjust the broth quantity as needed to maintain your desired consistency.
More flavors: You can add chopped sun-dried tomatoes and a sprinkle of feta cheese for a Mediterranean flair to this dish.
Varieties of White Beans
There are many different white beans: navy beans, great northern beans, and cannellini beans are the most popular.
Lima beans, butter beans, and even pinto beans are considered white beans but we don’t recommend them in this soup.
Choosing the Best Beans – Canned vs. Dried
Any true white bean will work in this recipe. We recommend cannellini beans, great northern beans, or navy beans. They have a similar creamy texture and will work well.
You can also use canned or dried beans. We recommend cooked, no or low salt beans simply because they’re much easier to cook with.
However, dried beans are significantly cheaper! Make sure to soak them and cook them before adding to the soup, because dried beans take a long time to cook.
How to Make White Bean Soup
- Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and once warm, sauté onion and garlic until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and celery and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add spices, white beans, and vegetable broth. Bring to a gentle boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. When ready to serve, add kale and let wilt, for about 3-5 minutes.
White Bean Soup Recipe – Tips for Success
- Always use unsalted broth. Salted broth can be extremely salty and ruin your soup! Add salt to taste.
- Make sure to drain and rinse your cannellini beans.
- Add a parmesan cheese rind – Have you tried adding a parmesan cheese rind to your soups? It adds so much flavor! Add it in at the beginning and remove it at the end like a bay leaf!
Serving Suggestions
This soup is a hearty meal on its own but here are some other things we like to serve it with:
- Top your soup with a dollop of Greek yogurt, a sprinkle of grated Parmesan, or a handful of croutons for added texture and flavor
- This soup is great alongside sourdough bread or garlic bread
- Kale Salad
- A grilled cheese!
Storing and Freezing Tuscan White Bean Soup
Storing: This will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Freezing: You can freeze this recipe for up to 3 months. We like these containers for freezing!
If you need more freezer friendly recipes check out our Fill Your Freezer Ebook with 22 easy freezer meals!
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave or on the stove.
More Healthy Soup Recipes:
Looking for other soup recipes? Check out these 40+ Healthy Soup Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy soup cookbook.
White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onion about 1 onion
- 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic about 3 cloves garlic
- 2 cups peeled and sliced carrots about 3 large carrots
- 1.5 cups diced celery about 2 stalks
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 2 15 oz can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 6 cups vegetable broth low or no salt
- 4 cups chopped kale
Instructions
StoveTop Instructions
- Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat until it starts to shimmer.
- Add chopped onion and garlic to the pot. Sauté until they become fragrant and the onions start to turn translucent, which should take about 5 minutes.
- Add diced carrots and celery to the pot with onions/garlic. Sauté for another 5 minutes.
- Add in Italian seasoning, thyme, salt, pepper and beans to the pot.
- Add vegetable broth to the pot, stir and bring the soup to a gentle boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and let it simmer away for about 15 minutes.
- When ready to eat, uncover the pot and add kale. Stir and let the kale wilt down in the simmering soup. (This should take about 3 to 5 minutes)
- Before serving, give your soup a taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
- Top with parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Crockpot Instructions
- It is optional, but highly recommend to saute your veggies ahead of time!
- Heat a large saute pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat until it starts to shimmer.
- Add chopped onion and garlic to the pot. Sauté until they become fragrant and the onions start to turn translucent, which should take about 5 minutes.
- Add diced carrots and celery to the pot with onions/garlic. Sauté for another 5 minutes.
- Transfer cooked vegetables to the crockpot base. Add in Italian seasoning, thyme, salt, pepper and beans to the pot.
- Add vegetable broth to the pot, stir and cover the pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Add .kale to the pot and stir during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
- Before serving, give your soup a taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
- Top with parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Instant Pot Instructions
- Set instant pot to Saute, 10 minutes. Add olive oil and heat until it starts to shimmer.
- Add chopped onion and garlic to the pot. Sauté until they become fragrant and the onions start to turn translucent, which should take about 5 minutes.
- Add diced carrots and celery to the pot with onions/garlic. Sauté for another 5 minutes.
- Add in Italian seasoning, thyme, salt, pepper and beans to the pot.
- Add vegetable broth to the pot, stir. Make sure to really stir the bottom to avoid any burn notices.
- Cover the pot and set to Manual, High Pressure for 1 minute. Once the instant pot comes to pressure let it naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure.
- When ready to eat, uncover the pot and add kale. Stir and let the kale wilt down in the simmering soup. (This should take about 3 to 5 minutes)
- Before serving, give your soup a taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
- Top with parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Rich says
This was delicious! I added it to my recipie book to make sure to make again.
Jann Forrest says
I made it on stovetop. I don’t like these white beans so used Great Northern White Beans, instead of other greens I added a few frozen Mustard Green beans. I used Vegetable Better Than Boullion.
I call it “I got my veggies my way”
Vicky says
I cut this recipe in half and didn’t add the carrots and celery, and really enjoyed it! I look forward to making this again!
Ginger Grand says
This recipe is super easy and delicious. I cooked mine in my instapot, refrigerated overnight and reheated the next day. Honestly I’ve enjoyed every recipe I’ve tried from the clean eating couple.
Barbara Leoni says
I love, love this soup. I make it all the time. Good flavor and you can change it up many different ways.
Sometimes I put spinach in it instead of Kale and some pasta.