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This Tuscan White Bean Soup is the creamy comfort food of your dreams! This delicious gluten-free dinner full of nutritious veggies can easily be made vegetarian for a freezer-friendly meal for the whole family.
Classic veggies and common pantry staples come together for an amazing winter meal in this Tuscan White Bean Soup! You can always count on this meal when you need a nourishing, classic dinner to make the whole family feel good. Even better: It’s ready in just 30 minutes!!
Want more soups for Meatless Monday? Try our Roasted Red Pepper Soup or Easy Minestrone Soup!
Why you are going to love this recipe:
- Healthy – A large bowl of this creamy soup has a big dose of fiber and a good amount of protein to keep you full! You’ll get tons of essential vitamins and minerals (including more than 1/3rd of your daily suggested doses of Vitamins K, Iron, Folic Acid, Vitamin A, and Potassium), too!
- Versatile – This recipe is already gluten-free, but I’m including tips to help make it vegetarian and vegan as well. If you want to add more protein, this works with a variety of different meats or even tofu! We use super common ingredients, great for picky eaters.
- Freezable – You don’t have to worry about wasting any ingredients with this dish because you can freeze the soup up to 3 months! This is a fantastic freezer meal for sick friends, growing families, and busy seasons.
Ingredients
Here’s a quick overview of what you will need for this easy soup. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for exact measurements.
- Onion, Carrots, Celery, and Garlic – Dice, chop, and mince these into small pieces to make the soup easy to eat. You will need a cooking oil to saute these in; we used avocado oil, but feel free to use extra-virgin olive oil or your preferred oil. If you want to skip the chopping, feel free to thaw 1-2 bags of mirepoux and use jarred minced garlic to make this quicker.
- Broth and Balsamic Vinegar – Feel free to use chicken stock or vegetable broth depending on your dietary needs and preferred flavors. I recommend using a low-sodium option since the canned beans have a hefty dose of sodium as well.
- Cannellini Beans and Petite Diced Tomatoes – These canned goods make this soup so easy. Drain and rinse your beans for the best flavor, and feel free to replace these with great northern beans, navy beans, or white kidney beans if that is what you already have. The tomatoes don’t need to be drained, just dump them on in.
- Rosemary and Thyme (fresh, chopped) with dried Italian Seasoning, Sage, Salt, and Pepper – Flavormakers! These complement all the other ingredients perfectly. If you don’t have fresh rosemary and thyme, use the 3-times the amount of the dried version. If you are sensitive to salt, you can just add it to taste at the end.
- Kale – You could replace this with baby spinach if you prefer.
- Heavy Cream – I have not tried any substitutes, but I do think coconut cream could be a good option to make this vegan and dairy-free.
Optional garnishes: shaved parmesan cheese, sliced scallions, chopped fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, etc. If you are vegetarian, vegan, or dairy-free, be sure to choose a parmesan that fits those dietary needs.
How to make the BEST white bean soup
This simple comfort food meal is easy and just requires a large pot or Dutch oven! Here’s a step-by-step guide to making this healthy dinner.
Saute the veggies
Start by heating the cooking oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add in your chopped onion, carrots, and celery, then saute until the onions are translucent and the vegetables are softening (about 4 minutes for me). Add your minced garlic and continue cooking another 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Simmer with beans, liquid, and seasonings
Pour in your broth, rinsed beans, tomatoes, vinegar, rosemary, thyme, Italian seasoning, sage, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Add kale and cream
Once the veggies reach your preferred texture, go ahead and stir in your chopped kale and heavy cream. Stir to combine, allowing the kale to soften. Once it has wilted, remove from the heat and serve immediately.
Serve
We love this soup garnished with some shaved parmesan and chopped fresh herbs. It’s a well-rounded meal on its own, but we upped the fall vibes by serving it with this Cranberry Apple Kale Salad.
Appetizers to serve with soup:
Storage and Reheating
Allow the soup to cool completely before storing in an airtight container and placing in the refrigerator. It will keep 3-4 days chilled in the fridge and works great for leftover lunches! You could also freeze this (make sure to use a freezer-safe container and leave some empty space at the top for expansion) up to 3 months.
When reheating, simply microwave in 1-minute bursts at 50% power (covered to prevent splatters) or warm in a pot over medium low heat. If the soup was frozen, you’ll get the best texture if you let the soup thaw slowly overnight in the fridge. After thawing, there is a chance that the cream may look like it is separating–Simply give a good, constant stir until it reincorporates. If it still looks broken, warm 1-2 tablespoons of heavy cream and stir it in.
Tips and Variations
- Add more protein. As written, a bowl of this soup already has 21 grams of protein, but you can make it even heartier if you like! Add shredded chicken, cooked Italian sausage, even seared tofu for an easy boost of protein.
- Add a parmesan rind. Save your parmesan rinds because they are an amazing addition to soup! You can add it in when you pour in the broth, allowing it to soften during the simmer. This adds a creaminess and umami flavor we love. Just fish it out like you would a bay leaf before serving.
- Add some variety. You can add some crispy bacon or pancetta for crunch, fresh parsley or basil for more flavor, or consider adding some chopped sundried tomatoes for more Tuscan flavor!
Soup FAQ’s
As written, this recipe is gluten-free but not low-carb due to the beans. If made with vegetable broth, it is vegetarian (and omit the parmesan garnish due to animal rennet used). To make it vegan, you would need to use vegetable broth and replace the heavy cream with coconut cream.
Yes, if you prefer a thicker soup, there are a couple ways to change this. One option is to use an immersion blender–Stick it in the pot before adding the kale and cream, then blend to process some of the beans to thicken up the soup. If you want to keep the beans whole, you can instead create a cornstarch slurry to thicken the soup. Whisk together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cold water until it’s smooth, then stir this into the soup to thicken.
More easy soup recipes:
Tuscan White Bean Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 3 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes, no need to drain
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp dry sage
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 cups chopped kale
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Shaved parmesan, optional for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until the onions are translucent and the vegetables are softening, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another 30 seconds.
- Add the broth, beans, tomatoes, vinegar, rosemary, thyme, Italian seasoning, sage, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are softened to your liking.
- Add the kale and heavy cream and stir to combine. Allow the kale to soften, then remove from heat and serve garnished with shaved parmesan if desired.
Notes
- This soup freezes really well for up to 3 months and stays good in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Feel free to use Great Northern white beans or other white beans, if desired! You can also substitute in spinach instead of kale.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
