Tuscan White Bean Soup with Bacon
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!Recipe can be scaled up or down by using the slider if you hover your mouse over the number of Servings.
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 (SEE NOTES)
- ¼ tsp crushed Red Pepper Flakes - more or less, to taste
- ¾ tsp Kosher Salt , plus more to taste
- heaping 1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper , plus more to taste
- ½ cup White Wine
- 4 Cups Reduced sodium Chicken Stock - (can substitute vegetable stock)
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans Cannellini Beans or Great Northern Beans - UNDRAINED (SEE NOTES)
- 2 sprigs fresh Rosemary
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 Parmesan Cheese Rind
- ¼ - ½ Cup Heavy Cream - (you can substitute Half and Half)
- 1 TBS fresh Parsley leaves – chopped, or more for serving
- ½ Cup Parmigiano Reggiano , plus more for serving
Instructions
- Cook bacon: 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 drippings in pan. Set aside.
- Remove bacon - leave fat: You want about 1 tablespoon of bacon 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).
- Saute vegetables: 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.
- Deglaze the pan: 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 liquid, beans + herbs: Add the chicken stock, beans with their liquid, rosemary sprigs, bay leaf and parmesan rind (if using).
- Boil, then simmer: Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes.
- Add bacon, cream, parsley + parmesan: Use tongs to remove the rosemary sprigs and bay leaf. (I leave in the parmesan rind, but you can remove and discard it.) Add in the bacon, 1/4 cup of cream, chopped parsley leaves and grated parmesan. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Taste the soup, add more cream for a richer taste and texture.
- Optional To Thicken Soup: (You can serve the soup as is for a brothy consistency, or you can thicken the soup with one of the two methods below.) For an ultra creamy, bisque-like texture, puree the entire soup. 1. Use an Immersion blender to blend some of the soup until desired consistency is reached. Or, use a potato masher to mash some of the beans. Blend about 1-2 cups of the soup for a slightly creamy yet rustic texture.2. Stand Mixer: Remove 1-2 cups of the soup to a stand mixer. Puree the soup and then add the mixture back to the pot. , add back in removed beans.
- To serve: Ladle soup into serving bowls. Garnish with more grated parmesan cheese and fresh herbs. Drizzle with a bit of good-quality extra virgin olive oil for a flavorful finish. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Garlic: 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.
- Beans: 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
Calories: 431kcal Carbohydrates: 14g Protein: 18g Fat: 32g Saturated Fat: 13g Cholesterol: 65mg Sodium: 1140mg Potassium: 634mg Fiber: 2g Sugar: 4g Vitamin A: 8231IU Vitamin C: 7mg Calcium: 210mg Iron: 1mg