This Tuscan White Bean Soup Recipe is packed with texture and flavor! Made in just one pot and ready in 30 minutes or less, this Tuscan soup is a restaurant quality dish you can easily make from the comfort of your own home!
*Updated*
This post was originally published in January 2015. I took new photos, tweaked the recipe slightly and updated the post below to include more information about this One Pot Tuscan Bean Soup. Plus, I added a recipe video to show you how easy this white bean soup is to make!
Hi, friends! What’s shaking?
I dunno what is going on with me recently, but I’m constantly exhausted… mind, body & soul. Maybe there is something in the air, or possibly it’s just all the cold weather, because it is not just me experiencing this fatigue.
Boy keeps complaining he is beat as well. You can probably imagine, as a couple, we are pretty gosh darn boring at the moment.
But, maybe we are just getting old.
Actually, I’m fairly certain that is what’s happening since I just found my first two gray hairs. (<– Ugh. Brutal truth)
Regardless, whenever I’m feeling tired and rundown (and just old), I always crave a big ‘ole bowl of hearty, warming soup. And, the soup I’m sharing today most definitely fits that bill!
In fact, this Tuscan bean soup is so dang delicious, Boy requests it every single winter season without fail.
Tuscan Bean Soup Recipe
While this soup didn’t give me everlasting energy (maybe I need a gobstopper), it definitely warmed my soul and happily filled my belly.
This soup is perfect for all this crazy cold weather.
It’s nice and light, filled with lots of protein, easy to prepare and comes together quickly.
This Tuscan bean soup is silky and velvety in texture from the touch of cream, and if you puree it, from the beans as well.
The diced and rendered bacon delivers salty, savory flavor and the addition of fresh rosemary provides earthy undertones.
The veggies add a depth of flavor and help you keep up with your healthy new year’s resolution, while the parmesan cheese adds that final touch of love and Je-ne-sais-quoi.
What is Tuscan bean soup?
Tuscan bean soup is a rustic bean soup in the style of Tuscany.
Tuscan bean soups are usually made up of cannellini beans, garlic, celery, carrots, onions and seasonings. While there are a ton of optional add-ins, such as kale, Italian sausage or potatoes, this Tuscan bean soup also features salty, crispy bacon for a touch of meaty richness.
What to serve with Tuscan soup?
Tuscan bean soup is usually served with toasted, crusty Tuscan bread, however you can serve this soup with any type of artisan bread desired.
Looking to turn this soup into a more rounded meal? Here are some delicious serving options for Tuscan bean soup:
Hearty salad – a kale based salad would be a delicious pairing!
Grilled or sautéed Italian sausage
Stuffed peppers or tomatoes
Plenty of crusty bread – this soup tastes absolutely amazing if served in a bread bowl!
How to serve Tuscan White Bean Soup?
There are three ways you can serve this soup, depending on your mood:
Serve as is, chunky with the beans, bacon and veggies whole and left intact.
Puree part of the soup to achieve a slightly more silky texture (this is what I did). There are two ways you can do this:
Immersion blender right into the pot and carefully puree until desired silky: chunky ratio is achieved.
Remove part of the soup with a ladle or measuring cup and puree with the immersion blender or place removed portion of soup into a standing blender. Stir removed portion back into the pot.
Puree the entire soup, this will obviously yield the most silky, luscious texture. I did this to my left overs. Seriously good stuff.
Regardless of how you serve this soup – rustic, slightly pureed and chunky, or silky smooth – a good drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a heavy dusting of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano is highly recommended!
No matter how you choose to serve this, or how old you feel, I can guarantee you will enjoy this soup and momentarily forget about whatever is ailing you.
2(14.5 oz) cansCannellini BeansUNDRAINED (can substitute great northern beans)*
2sprigsfresh Rosemary
1Bay leaf
1Parmesan Cheese Rind(optional)
¼ - ½CupHeavy Cream(can substitute Half and Half)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1TBSfresh Parsley leaves– chopped, or more to taste
½CupParmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving
Instructions
Place a large stock pot 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 dripping in pan. Set aside.
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).
Increase heat to medium high. Add shallots, carrot, and celery to 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.
Add white wine to deglaze pan, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until wine is reduced to 2 tablespoon, about 3-4 minutes
Add the Chicken stock, beans with their liquid, rosemary sprigs, bay leaf and parmesan rind (if using).
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.
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
Options To Finish:
1. Serve As Is.
2. Use and 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 ladlefuls of beans, puree remaining soup, add back in removed beans.
4. Remove, in batches, to a blender and puree until desired consistency.
To serve: Ladle soup into bread bowls and garnish with grated parmesan cheese.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
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.
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!
Nutrition Facts
Tuscan White Bean Soup with Bacon
Amount Per Serving
Calories 431Calories from Fat 288
% Daily Value*
Fat 32g49%
Saturated Fat 13g81%
Cholesterol 65mg22%
Sodium 1140mg50%
Potassium 634mg18%
Carbohydrates 14g5%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 18g36%
Vitamin A 8231IU165%
Vitamin C 7mg8%
Calcium 210mg21%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Hi Celes, This soup comfortably serves 4 (and the nutritional information is an approximation assuming 4 servings). To get the exact serving size you would need to divide the total amount (cups) of the prepared soup by 4. Cheers and thank you so much for stopping by!
Hi Susan, You can certainly use whatever variety of bacon you would like. However, I did not use thick cut bacon. I used center cut bacon (regular-sliced) and 10 slices weighed a little more than 1/2 a pound. Cheers!
Soup was good but too much red pepper very spicy would cut back to just a pinch. Added more cream and cheese to take the heat down a bit also a TBS of ACV to tone it down, it has good flavor profile and served with crusty bread and home churned butter it hits the spot on this cold rainy day!
Hi Rekea, That’s a great idea and I’m sure this recipe could be adapted and modified for the slow cooker. However, I have only made this according to the instructions in the recipe. If you try it, let me know how it goes! Cheers and Happy New Year!
This has nothing to do with your recipe, which I will try…however, I was also exhausted all the time….my vitamin D was very low. Have yours checked, quite possibly that’s your problem. I wish you well!
So good. So so good. I used bulk Italian sausage instead of bacon and added kale, puréed 1/2 the liquid and veggies–sooooo good. I confess I did drain the beans because that liquid grosses me out. The soup is still thick enough for my liking 🙂
Hi Vassos, Thank you for catching that! I use a nutrition calculator and you are correct, there was a glitch! However, the calorie count isn’t nearly as high as you thought. I fixed the information on the recipe card. Cheers!
celes wilson says
January 14, 2020 at 5:19 pmWhat is the serving size for this soup?
Cheyanne says
January 14, 2020 at 7:03 pmHi Celes,
This soup comfortably serves 4 (and the nutritional information is an approximation assuming 4 servings). To get the exact serving size you would need to divide the total amount (cups) of the prepared soup by 4.
Cheers and thank you so much for stopping by!
Susan says
January 12, 2020 at 6:44 pmHow much weight is the bacon?
Ten strips of thick cut bacon is 1 lb. is this recipe for 1lb of bacon?
Cheyanne says
January 13, 2020 at 1:43 pmHi Susan,
You can certainly use whatever variety of bacon you would like. However, I did not use thick cut bacon. I used center cut bacon (regular-sliced) and 10 slices weighed a little more than 1/2 a pound.
Cheers!
Toni says
January 6, 2020 at 1:19 pmSoup was good but too much red pepper very spicy would cut back to just a pinch. Added more cream and cheese to take the heat down a bit also a TBS of ACV to tone it down, it has good flavor profile and served with crusty bread and home churned butter it hits the spot on this cold rainy day!
Rekea says
January 4, 2020 at 4:41 pmHi, I’m new to your site. Can this be made in a slow cooker?
Cheyanne says
January 4, 2020 at 4:59 pmHi Rekea,
That’s a great idea and I’m sure this recipe could be adapted and modified for the slow cooker. However, I have only made this according to the instructions in the recipe. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
Cheers and Happy New Year!
renee says
December 14, 2019 at 7:43 pmexcellent. I loosely follow recipes. this one was one to come back to!
Annette says
November 13, 2019 at 12:11 pmThis has nothing to do with your recipe, which I will try…however, I was also exhausted all the time….my vitamin D was very low. Have yours checked, quite possibly that’s your problem. I wish you well!
Maria says
October 14, 2019 at 4:55 pmSo good. So so good. I used bulk Italian sausage instead of bacon and added kale, puréed 1/2 the liquid and veggies–sooooo good. I confess I did drain the beans because that liquid grosses me out. The soup is still thick enough for my liking 🙂
Marira says
October 5, 2019 at 1:14 pmSo good, my teenagers love them a lot – none left！
Cheyanne says
October 5, 2019 at 1:26 pmHi Marira,
I’m thrilled your family enjoyed this soup! Thank you so much for coming back and letting me know how it went over! Cheers!
Vassos says
July 29, 2019 at 2:02 pmNo way your calorie count is correct. Beans and bacon alone get you to 1200 for the recipient… plus cream, cheese….. yummy though!
Cheyanne says
July 29, 2019 at 6:52 pmHi Vassos,
Thank you for catching that! I use a nutrition calculator and you are correct, there was a glitch! However, the calorie count isn’t nearly as high as you thought. I fixed the information on the recipe card. Cheers!