Tuscan White Bean Soup
One-pot Tuscan white bean soup! Naturally vegan and gluten-free, this delicious white bean soup is easy to make and one of my favorite weekday dinners.
Made with carrots, celery, tomatoes, kale and of course– white beans!
I’ve got a thing for Tuscan-inspired soups. My Tuscan kale soup is one of my most popular recipes, second only to my Italian farro soup.
So, it was only time I created a white bean version.
We eat so many soups in my house– at least 2-3x a week in the fall or winter. As a dietitian, I love that they are an easy way to pack all of the essentials into one meal– protein, usually a bean or lentil, a few vegetables, and usually a grain. Plus, any extras make for great leftovers or prepped for a freezer meal.
Read below for tips and tricks to make the perfect Tuscan white bean soup. Or, scroll all the way down for the full recipe.
Why I Love This Recipe
This Tuscan white bean soup is my version of the one my mom made all the time growing up. That white bean soup was a brothy bean version with spinach—not exactly a favorite meal for the average 7-year-old.
My version is just as hearty but with carrots and celery added to the mix. I decided to keep this one without any added pasta, like I did with my white bean and tortellini soup and serve it with crusty bread instead. It’s exactly what you need to soak up the sauce.
A single serving contains 17 g of protein and 13 g of fiber, making it filling, satisfying, and healthy.
White Bean Soup Ingredients
- Olive oil: You need oil in this soup recipe to not only saute the vegetables, but also to increase absorption from the fat soluble vitamins found in the carrots and kale.
- Mirapoix: Almost all of my soup recipes contain a mirapoix, onion, carrots and celery that add body, texture and aromatics.
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, bay leaves
- Vegetable broth: I say this will all my soup recipes, but make sure you love the taste of your broth as it will make or break any soup recipe. I use a soup base or my homemade vegetable broth, so use what you like.
Substitution Notes
Any white beans will work for this recipe. I use cannellini beans, but white navy beans and great northern beans will work, as will white kidney beans.
I use an Italian seasoning blend for ease, but you can use single seasonings like oregano, basil and rosemary. If you want a brothy soup, then you can omit the fire-roasted tomatoes if you’d like.
This soup is great with either spinach or kale; I’m partial to kale like my Tuscan kale soup, but spinach works too!
How to Make This Soup
How to make this Tuscan white bean soup– saute the vegetables, add the seasonings, white beans, broth and simmer until tender.
Saute the vegetables
Saute the vegetables in olive oil in a soup pan or Dutch oven (affiliate) until tender. Add in the seasonings, white beans and bay leaf.
Add the broth and greens
Add in the broth and tomatoes and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in the greens, either spinach or chopped kale, and cook until softened. Stir in the lemon juice or vinegar and taste.
Don’t skip the lemon juice or the vinegar! It helps to balance the saltiness of the soup and is my secret for making soup “pop” and taste fresh. It’s a must and why I include this step in almost all of my soup recipes.
Serve
Portion and serve! I love this most with a drizzle of more olive oil, fresh black pepper and fresh parsley.
Expert Tips for Success
Removing some of the beans and pureeing them makes for a really creamy texture that is silky and delicious paired with the whole beans. I use a blender (affiliate) to do this, but you can also use an immersion blender!
Depending on what broth you use, you may need to add more salt for flavor. I usually opt for a low-sodium broth and then choose to season with more salt and pepper.
If you want a meatier soup, then I like adding in a meatless Italian sausage while I’m sauteeing the vegetables. Field Roast is my favorite brand, but Beyond also makes a delicious one!
This Tuscan bean soup is vegan, as written, but if you like parmesan cheese, I recommend sprinkling some on your bowl after serving!
What to Serve With
You can serve this Tuscan white bean soup on it’s own, though I love the combo of soup, salad and a good crusty bread (like my no-knead instant pot bread!)
My easy kale caesar salad pairs perfectly with this recipe and is my go-to salad pairing.
More Bean Soup Recipes:
- Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup
- Instant Pot Lentil Soup
- Red Lentil Soup
- Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup
- Slow Cooker Taco Soup
- Pasta e Ceci Soup
If you make this Tuscan white bean soup, make sure to come back to leave a rating and a comment. Seeing you make my recipes makes my day and your feedback helps other readers.
Tuscan White Bean Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small white or yellow onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, sliced into small coins
- 3 celery stalks, sliced into small half-moons
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 15 ounce cans white beans, like cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups spinach leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or red wine vinegar
- Fresh chopped parsley, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or stockpan. Add in the onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 10 minutes, until just tender. Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Cook another minute or two, until just fragrant.
- Add in the white beans, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth and bay leaves. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes to let flavors develop.
- Remove the bay leaves and discard.
- Place 2 cups of the soup in a blender and let cool slightly, then blend until creamy. Add back to the soup and taste. Depending on the type of broth you use, you may need more or less salt. Add the spinach and cook until just wilted, then add the pepper and the lemon juice or red wine vinegar.
- Serve! We love this with a drizzle of more olive oil, fresh black pepper, and parsley.