Tuscan White Bean Soup
Tuscan white bean soup is chock-full of creamy white beans, tender veggies, and green kale all cooked in a simply seasoned broth. It makes a tasty main dish meal that's hearty, satisfying, and good for you.
Why This Tuscan Kale Soup Rocks!
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Vegetables: Yellow onion, celery, and carrot add a more complex flavor to the white bean kale soup. Taking the time to saute them at the start softens their flavors and help them blend into the broth better.
- Garlic: Deepens the earthy flavors of the vegetable bean soup. Add it at the end of cooking the vegetables and don't let it burn or it will become bitter.
- Olive oil: We're using a small amount to saute the vegetables at the start of cooking. You can swap it for another neutral flavored vegetable oil.
- White beans: You can use any type of white bean you enjoy. Creamy cannellini beans are one of my favorites and there is simply nothing better than a bowl of cannellini bean soup. Northern beans, navy beans, and canary beans also work well in the soup.
- Kale: This hearty Tuscan kale and white bean soup recipe works with curly or lacinato kale so feel free to choose your favorite. You can also substitute another green such as spinach, arugula, or Swiss chard.
- Seasoning: I love a simple blend of dried rosemary, crushed red pepper for a little heat, ground coriander, and salt.
- Tomato paste: Boosts the savory flavor of your soup.
- Broth: Use vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian or vegan or you can also use chicken broth or even chicken bone broth if you prefer.
- Lemon juice: Added at the end of cooking, it adds a bit of acidity that brightens up the soup. I also like to serve some lemon wedges on the side too.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below in the recipe card.
How to Make White Bean Soup
Step 1: Cook the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until it's soft and beginning to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and cook until the celery is starts to soften.
Step 2: Add the seasoning. Add the garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes, coriander, and tomato paste. Cook for one minute, stirring consistently.
Step 3: Cook the soup. Add the white beans and broth. Stir to scrape everything off the bottom of the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 30-35 minutes, until the carrot softens.
Step 4: Wash and prep the kale. Tear the leaves off the ribs and chop into bite size pieces.
Step 5: Add the kale. When the carrots are cooked add the salt, lemon juice, and kale to the pot. Stir to submerge kale and cook until the kale is tender.
Step 6: Adjust the flavors and serve. Taste and adjust lemon juice and salt as needed. Serve it up and enjoy!
Handy Tip: Prepare Ahead!
Soups are perfect for freezing and this white bean soup DOES NOT disappoint when made ahead of time, stored, and reheated. I love to store soups in silicone soup portion trays to make it easy to pull out a serving or two of soup at a time to reheat!
Alternate Cooking Methods
- Slow Cooker: Saute the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic as indicated in the recipe. Then add the remaining ingredients, except for the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours until vegetables are tender. Add the kale, lemon juice, and salt to the slow cooker. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until kale is soft. Taste and adjust any of the seasonings.
- Instant Pot: Saute the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic as indicated in the recipe using the saute function. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cook on high pressure for four minutes. Use quick release to let out the pressure out and then remove the lid. Add the kale, lemon juice, and salt to the slow cooker. Stir the kale into the soup. The residual heat in the soup will soften the kale. Check the seasoning and adjust to your tastes.
Dietary Modifications & Variations
- Sausage, Bacon, or Ham: Throw in some sliced cooked sausage or diced ham for an easy addition of meat. You can also cooked the veggies with some bacon or ground sausage for added flavor. A ham bone or ham hock make a simple option for infusing more complex flavors.
- Chicken Breast: Throw in some shredded cooked chicken. The perfect use for leftover chicken or grab a rotisserie chicken and shred it to save time.
- Ground Meat: Brown your choice of ground beef, chicken, pork, or turkey to boost the protein and heartiness of the soup.
- Cheesy: Add a Parmesan rind along with the soup broth when cooking the soup. It melts into the soup lending a salty and savory flavor that's out of this world!
- Grains: Serve your soup over some cooked rice, pasta, or other grain to make it heartier. I recommend cooking the grains on the side rather than in the broth so you keep the soup consistency.
- Spicy: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to add some heat.
Expert Tips
- Salting the Soup: Use caution adding salt if you use bouillon instead of broth or if you are cooking the soup with ham, a ham hock, or ham bone.
- Serving: Tuscan white bean and kale soup is a main dish soup that's satisfying enough as a full meal. I find a simple salad or crusty bread is all you need to round out the meal. Garnish your soup with some chopped parsley and serve with some lemon wedges and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese if you want.
- Storing: Cool leftover Tuscan vegetable soup fully before storing it in an airtight container. Place it in the fridge for up to four days or in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating in a pot on the stove over medium heat.
White Bean Tuscan Soup FAQs
You can mash or blend the beans before adding them to the soup to naturally create a thicker consistency. You can do this with all the beans or with simply a portion depending on the consistency you prefer.
Double up on the broth if you want a less thick and chunky soup and more broth.
More Soup Recipes
Hearty Tuscan White Bean Soup
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large soup pot
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 1 large carrot peeled and diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ cup cooked white beans 15 oz can, drained
- 1 bunch kale
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2-3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Peel and dice onion and carrot. Mince garlic. Dice celery.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium. Add diced onion and cook, stirring regularly, until softened and beginning to brown, 7-10 minutes.
- Add carrot and celery and cook for 3 minutes, stirring regularly, until celery is starts to soften.
- Add garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes, coriander, and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute, stirring consistently.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Add white beans and broth. Stir to scrape everything off the bottom of the pot. Cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes, until carrot is just soft.
- While soup is cooking, wash and prep the kale. Tear it off the ribs and chop into bite size pieces.
- Once carrots have softened, add salt, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and kale. Stir to submerge kale and cook for about 3 minutes until kale is tender.
- Taste and adjust lemon juice and salt as needed.
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Recipe Tips
- Salting the Soup: Use caution adding salt if you use bouillon instead of broth or if you are cooking the soup with ham, a ham hock, or ham bone.
- Serving: Tuscan white bean and kale soup is a main dish soup that's satisfying enough as a full meal. I find a simple salad or crusty bread is all you need to round out the meal. Garnish your soup with some chopped parsley and serve with some lemon wedges and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese if you want.
- Storing: Cool leftover Tuscan vegetable soup fully before storing it in an airtight container. Place it in the fridge for up to four days or in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating in a pot on the stove over medium heat.
