Hearty Tuscan white bean soup is a flavorful comforting Italian-style soup for a chilly day. Lots of vegetables, broth, and herbs provide rich flavor, and optional kale for an extra veggie boost. Easy to make adding leftover turkey or chicken for more protein or leave it out for a vegan soup. Make a big pot of soup and freeze it for for a future quick lunch or dinner. It's a great use for leftovers!
Once your prep work is done, this recipe goes together quickly for a healthy hearty soup. Check out the variations section for lots of customizable options, like how to make it vegan. Don't like kale? Skip it or use baby spinach leaves.
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Why You'll like This Recipe
- Using canned white beans and leftover turkey or chicken shortens cooking time.
- It's hearty, filling, and healthy.
- There are many ways to vary it to meet your preferences.
For another terrific Italian bean soup, try this ribollita recipe. The addition of tomatoes and pancetta give it great flavor.
Recipe Ingredients
here si what you need to make Tuscan White Bean Soup.
- White beans: Cannellini beans (white kidney beans) are an Italian favorite, but other white beans will work if you can't get them. Canned beans make it easy. Buy low sodium beans and compare labels.
- Protein: Leftover turkey, roast chicken breasts, or rotisserie chicken work well.
- Broth: Use chicken broth, turkey broth, or easy vegetable broth. Homemade if you can for best flavor.
- Oil: Extra virgin olive oil is perfect.
- Vegetables: You need carrot, onion, celery, fennel and kale. The first three are classic for flavoring soup, and fennel is a flavorful addition widely used in Italian cuisine. For kale, buy the tuscan kale also called dinosaur kale or lacinato kale.
- Herbs: Thyme, bay leaf, sage, and fennel seed (optional). Optionally, add fresh chopped basil leaves and fresh parsley before serving.
- Garlic: An Italian-style soup without garlic? No way. Use fresh garlic or garlic powder.
- Wine: Use a dry white wine such as a sauvignon blanc or chardonnay. I use the little mini airline size bottles to cook with. Wine adds lovely flavor but it is optional.
Please see the recipe card for quantities, measurements, salt and black pepper.
For another easy recipe with beans, try this easy three bean salad with a french vinaigrette.
Chef's note: If you want to use dry beans, soak them overnight in cold water to cover, drain beans in the morning, and cook either on the stove top in fresh water until tender or use a pressure cooker on high pressure. Read this article for ways to cook beans.
Substitutions and Variations
- No cannellini beans? Use other types of beans such as great northern beans, small white beans, or navy beans.
- Make it vegan with vegetable broth and skipping the chicken or turkey. For volume, add another can of white beans if preferred.
- For a little heat, serve red pepper flakes on the side.
- Want it thinner? Just add broth.
- Want it creamier? For a creamy white bean soup, add 1 can of the cannellini beans to a food processor or blender with a little broth and puree, then add to the soup.
- Toss a parmesan rind into the pot while cooking for extra flavor, remove before serving.
- No good looking kale? Leave it out or add baby spinach leaves.
Chef's note: Fresh herbs vs. dried herbs. I often use fresh herbs (and grow them), but dried is easier to keep on hand. If fresh herbs are not available, the rule is use half to a third of the amount of dried herbs (they are more potent) versus fresh herbs. Dried herbs also need liquid (like broth) to rehydrate and release their flavor. Ultimately it depends on your taste preferences and the herbs you are working with.
Recipe Instructions
Making this white bean soup recipe is so easy! Let me show you how. I use a 5.5 quart dutch oven or use another heavy large pot.
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Chef's Tip: Wild fennel pollen. Sometimes I'll use wild fennel pollen versus fennel seed. Find wild fennel pollen online or in a specialty spice shop. The flavor is fantastic. It is the most potent variety of fennel and has an amazing aromatic quality.
Serving Suggestions
Serve white bean soup hot with a dusting of freshly grated parmesan cheese and additional fresh chopped herbs if desired. Garlic toast or a crusty roll to soak up the broth is a nice accompaniment. Remember to remove bay leaves before serving.
White bean soup is terrific the next day or label and date in an airtight container then freeze. I usually freeze in 3 cup portions for 2 servings.
Recipe FAQs
To thin white bean soup, add additional broth, not water. Using water dilutes the flavor. To thicken, try one of two approaches: stir in bread bread crumbs and simmer until thickened, or puree an additional can of white beans until smooth as stir in as much as you want to attain the desired thickness.
For the best white bean soup, use either cannellini beans (Italian white kidney beans), great northern beans, navy beans, or small white beans. Canned beans make it easier, but you can use dried beans if you prefer. Rinse and soak dried beans in plenty of water ahead overnight, then simmer until tender in fresh water. Another option is to cook dried beans in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, then use for white bean soup.
A hearty white bean soup is pretty much a meal in itself. If you want to make it a bigger meal, add a tossed green salad and garlic toast or crusty rolls to serve alongside. Another option, make the white bean soup heartier by adding protein to your recipe. Add shredded cooked chicken or diced rotisserie chicken. After Thanksgiving, add leftover roast turkey or ham.
More Warming Soup Recipes
Be sure to check out the soup category page for more terrific soup, stew, and chili recipes! Try this recipe for a fast and flavorful chicken rice soup, or the navy bean soup below for a bean and ham soup.
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📖 Recipe
Tuscan White Bean Soup
Equipment
- Large soup pot like a Dutch oven about 5 quarts
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ¼ cups finely chopped onion 1 medium onion
- 1 cup finely chopped celery 2-3 ribs
- 1 cup finely chopped carrot 2-3
- ½ fennel bulb chopped fine
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped sage or ¾ teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed or wild fennel pollen optional
- 1 large bay leaf
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped fine or ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- ⅓ cup dry white wine optional
- 2 15 ounce cans white beans, rinsed and drained Sub cannellini, Navy, White or Great Northern
- 2 cups leftover shredded chicken or turkey
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth or turkey broth
- ½ bunch tuscan or lacinato kale
- ½ bunch basil leaves chopped, optional
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Instructions
Vegetable Prep Work
- Chop any vegetables you haven't finished. Strip the center ribs from the kale leaves, roll lengthwise like a cigar and finely chop crosswise. Chop the parsley and basil if using.
Cooking the Soup
- In a large heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion, celery, carrot and fennel. Cook until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, 8-10 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low if needed. Add the garlic, thyme, and sage. Cook another minute. Add wine and cook down until almost gone, about a minute. Add the beans, broth, bay leaf, meat, and kale. Stir together and simmer soup for a few minutes until hot.
- To serve, stir in parsley and basil leaves (if using). Top with grated parmesan cheese if desired.
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