Tuscan White Bean Soup
Tuscan White Bean Soup is a comforting, hearty dish made with cannellini beans, pancetta, aromatics, and spinach. Lightly creamy and packed with flavor, it’s perfect for a cozy meal.
Servings 4
Calories 265kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive, avocado, or vegetable oil
- 1 medium leek, chopped, white and light green parts only
- 1/2 medium onion diced (about 1 cup chopped)
- 1 large carrot , diced small
- 3 ribs celery , chopped
- 4 ounces cubed pancetta
- 3 garlic cloves , peeled and minced
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian herb blend
- 32 ounces chicken or vegetable broth , or chicken bone broth
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary (optional, but lovely)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cans white cannellini beans (15 ounces each), with their juices
- 1/3 cup heavy cream (optional, see notes*)
- 1 cup chopped fresh spinach (about 30 leaves baby spinach)
- 1/4 cup finely grated parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano , plus extra for garnish
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a 4 to 5 quart Dutch oven or soup pot over medium until the surface shimmers.
- Add the leeks, onions, carrots, celery, and pancetta and stir well to coat in the oil. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. To speed up softening the carrots, use a lid in between stirs to create a steamy environment.
- Add the garlic and dried herbs, stirring well.
- Pour in the chicken broth and turn up the heat to bring the soup to a boil. While the soup is rising in temperature, add the rosemary springs and bay leaves, along with the 2 cans of beans.
- Adjust the heat to maintain an active simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low. Remove the bay leaves and rosemary sprig and discard.
- In a tall jar or large bowl, add the heavy cream and scoop out two cups of the soup with beans (make sure you get beans in there!). Use an immersion blender to smooth out this mixture. You can also use an upright blender. Add the blended beans mixture back to the soup, and give everything a stir.
- Add the spinach and grated cheese, and let the residual heat of the soup wilt the spinach.
- Taste, and add salt black pepper to your liking.
Notes
* The heavy cream adds a lovely texture to this soup, but if you're avoiding dairy, just leave it out. The blended beans will step in for creaminess. And also, if you are looking to freeze this soup, leaving out the heavy cream will make this soup very freezer-friendly. For absolutely best results, leave out the cheese as well, and stir it in when you reheat the soup.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 265kcal