Tuscan White Bean Soup Comforting Flavors Of Italian Countryside

You can expect a wholesome, earthy, and satisfying meal packed with the flavors and aromas of the Italian countryside. Dietary Note: this recipe is suitable for a vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diet.

Tuscan white bean soup video

Ingredients & Substitutions for Tuscan Soup

How to make Tuscan white bean soup

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As traditional recipes make their way into modern days, we understand how simple, nourishing, and sustainable they are. With our recipe, we hope to bring this timeless Italian recipe into your kitchen. We simplified some steps, shortened the cooking time, and substituted some ingredients so you can make this recipe at home with little effort. While doing so, we tried to preserve the essence of this recipe, which is a rustic, earthy, creamy, tasty, and nutritious white bean soup.

Flavor base

The flavor base is the most crucial step when making soup. It’s called “soffritto” in Italian, and it is used to add a rich base of flavor to this Tuscan white bean soup. To make it, you’ll need:

Olive oil: best if extra virgin olive oil. It’s used to cook the veggies gently. Onion: it adds sweetness and depth of flavor. You can use white or yellow onions. Celery: it adds fresh notes to balance the sweetness. Carrot: it adds color and sweetness. Garlic: it adds a mild pungent aroma. Leek: traditional in Tuscan soup, it adds even more freshness and sweetness. Tomato paste: it confers a light red color to the dish, and it adds a rich, savory flavor and umami.

Aromatics

Fresh thyme would be the most authentic as this herb is used in Tuscany for white bean soup. Substitute dry thyme, oregano, a sprig of rosemary, a couple of bay leaves, or some sage leaves for thyme. If you like some heat, add 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes or a finely chopped chili pepper.

Leafy greens

Tuscan white bean soup uses many leafy greens, more specifically, cavolo nero, savoy cabbage, and Swiss chard combined. Feel free to change them up based on what you have available. Also, you can use one, two, or all three leafy greens.

Cavolo nero: also known as Lacinato Kale or Dinosaur Kale, this dark leafy green adds a rich and hearty taste with peppery and slightly bitter notes. Substitute curly kale or spinach for cavolo nero. Savoy cabbage: savoy cabbage has a mild, delicate, nutty, and slightly sweet flavor. Substitute green cabbage or Chinese cabbage for savoy cabbage. Swiss chard, or chard, has a buttery, mild flavor that reminds us of spinach and beets. Substitute Bok Choy for chard.

Vegetable stock

You can use either vegetable stock or chicken broth. Using vegetable stock is a simple way to reduce meat consumption if you are interested.

White beans

Use cannellini beans or other white beans, such as navy beans or great northern beans. You can make this with canned beans for a quicker cooking time. Or, if you want to cook dry beans yourself, soak them for 8 hours in cold water, then change the water and boil them until tender with a teaspoon of salt (about 1 hour). Here’s our guide on how to cook white beans, in case you need it.

Bread

The best way to serve this white bean soup is with crusty bread, like ciabatta or a rustic loaf. Slice the bread into thick slices, then toast it or grill it, brush it with garlic, and drizzle with good quality extra virgin olive oil. To make this soup gluten-free, use gluten-free bread. You can also add a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese, although the soup is already plenty flavorful, and there’s no real need for it. Omit the parmesan for dairy-free, and you are good to go, as there’s no cream or butter.

1. Start with the flavor base

Chop the onion, celery, and carrots into small dice of similar size. Cut the leek in half lengthwise, rinse its layers under running water to remove sand, and slice it thinly. Finely chop the garlic. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the extra virgin olive oil, then add the chopped vegetables and fry them gently, on medium to low heat, for 10 minutes. Stir often. Tip: don’t chop the vegetable too finely. Try to avoid the use of a food processor. This is a rustic soup that should have some texture. The veggies should soften and sweat, but not brown. Add the tomato paste and fresh or dried thyme and cook for 2 more minutes.

2. Add the leafy greens

While the flavor base cooks, you can rinse and chop the greens into bite-size pieces. Add chopped kale, savoy cabbage, and chard to the pot. Add 3 cups of vegetable broth and season with salt and black pepper. Stir and simmer, covered, on medium heat for 10 minutes. Tip: Discard the woodier stems of the kale if there are any.

3. Add the beans

In a separate bowl, blend 1 cup of drained white cannellini beans and 1 cup of vegetable broth with an immersion blender. You can also blend the white beans in a standing blender. Note: blending the beans is a traditional Italian technique for making the soup creamy without using dairy. Pour the blended beans and the remaining white beans into the pot with the veggies. Stir and keep simmering for another 10 to 15 minutes, uncovered. Tip: The longer you simmer, the creamier, tastier, and thicker it gets. If it gets too thick, add more vegetable broth. When you’ve reached your desired consistency, taste and adjust for salt, turn the heat off, and, if you have time, let the soup cool down for 10 minutes before serving. This allows the flavors to meld. Tip: In Italy usually, there is no acidity added to soups. If you are missing that, you can add a squeeze of lemon before serving. Optionally, you can add a sprinkle of grated parmesan. As an alternative to crusty bread, you can serve it with:

No–knead focaccia that you can use to sop up the tasty juices. 10-minute crostini made in the oven with guaranteed crunch! Italian bruschetta with eggplant or tomato.

Make it guest-friendly, and serve it with different toppings. For example:

Homemade croutons Vegan parmesan Easy air fryer croutons

Focaccia

Bruschetta

Crostini Recipe

Homemade Croutons

Refrigerator: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The next day, the soup will be even more delicious! Reheat it in a pot with some water or microwave for 2 minutes. Freezer: let the Tuscan soup cool down completely, then transfer it to a freezer-friendly container and freeze for up to three months. Thaw: defrost it in the fridge over several hours, in the microwave or stovetop.

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