Tuscan White Bean Soup Recipe

This Tuscan White Bean Soup is packed with texture and flavor!  It’s a restaurant-quality dish you can easily make from the comfort of your own home!

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 45 mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 10 strips Bacon – diced
  • 2 large Shallots – peeled & small dice (about 1 1/2 cup)
  • 3 medium Carrot – peeled & small dice (about 3/4 cup)
  • 3 medium Celery – small dice (about 3/4 cup)
  • 4 small cloves Garlic – peeled & minced*
  • ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • ¾ tsp Kosher Salt
  • heaping 1/4 tsp Pepper
  • ½ cup White Wine
  • 4 Cups Reduced Sodium Chicken Stock (can substitute vegetable stock)
  • 2 (14.5 oz) cans Cannellini Beans UNDRAINED (can substitute great northern beans)*
  • 2 sprigs fresh Rosemary
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 1 Parmesan Cheese Rind (optional)
  • ¼ – ½ Cup Heavy Cream (can substitute Half and Half)
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste
  • 1 TBS fresh Parsley leaves – chopped, or more to taste
  • ½ Cup Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving

Instructions

  1. Place a large stockpot over medium heat and add bacon. Cook until bacon is crisp and cooked through. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving bacon drippings in the pan. Set aside.
  2. You want about 1 tablespoon of drippings in the pot, if you do not have enough fat, add extra virgin olive oil to pan until you have about 1 tablespoon of liquid (just eyeball this).
  3. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots, carrot, and celery to the pot. Cook, stirring frequently until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper; cook until aromatic, 30 seconds – 1 minute.
  4. Add white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until wine is reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 3-4 minutes
  5. Add the Chicken stock, beans with their liquid, rosemary sprigs, bay leaf and parmesan rind (if using).
  6. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
  7. Use tongs to remove rosemary sprigs, bay leaf, and parmesan rind. Add in the bacon, half and half*, chopped parsley leaves, and grated parmesan. Taste and adjust for seasoning. *Use ½ Cup for a creamier, richer texture and taste
  8. Options To Finish:1. Serve As Is.2. Use an Immersion blender to blend until desired consistency. I gently and carefully blended about ½ of the soup for a slightly creamy yet rustic soup.3. Remove a couple of ladlefuls of beans, puree remaining soup, add back in removed beans.4. Remove, in batches, to a blender and puree until desired consistency.
  9. To serve: Ladle soup into bread bowls and garnish with grated parmesan cheese.

Recipe Notes

  1. If you have an aversion to garlic, you might want to cut the amount of garlic in half or adjust the amount to your liking.  
  2. DO NOT drain the beans!  The liquid contains starch and helps thicken the soup.  However, the liquid does contain sodium, so keep that in mind when adding salt to the soup!
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