30-Minute Tuscan White Bean Soup Recipe

By
J. Kenji López-Alt
Kenji Lopez Alt
Culinary Consultant
Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.
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Updated June 02, 2020
tuscan-white-bean-soup-kenji
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

Recipe Details

30-Minute Tuscan White Bean Soup Recipe

Cook 30 mins
Active 20 mins
Total 30 mins
Serves 8 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

  • 1 medium onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)

  • 2 medium carrots, finely diced (about 1 cup)

  • 2 ribs celery, finely diced (about 1 cup)

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced on a microplane grater

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

  • 1 quart homemade or low-sodium canned chicken broth

  • 2 (15-ounce) cans white beans (cannellini or great northern), with their liquid

  • 4 6-inch sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped and stems reserved

  • 1 (3-4 inch) chunk parmesan rind (optional)

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 3 to 4 cups roughly chopped kale or swiss chard leaves

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving

Directions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and dried red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth, beans and their liquid, rosemary stems, parmesan rind, and bay leaves. Increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a bare simmer, add kale, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

  2. Discard the bay leaves and rosemary stems. Use a hand blender to roughly puree part of the beans until desired consistency is reached. Alternatively, transfer 2 cups of soup to a blender or food processor and process until smooth (start on low speed and increase to high to prevent blender blow-out). Return to the soup and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  3. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with reserved chopped rosemary leaves, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and a grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and serve with crusty toasted bread.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
214Calories
5gFat
33gCarbs
12gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories214
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g6%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 1mg0%
Sodium 568mg25%
Total Carbohydrate 33g12%
Dietary Fiber 8g27%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 12g
Vitamin C 24mg121%
Calcium 154mg12%
Iron 4mg24%
Potassium 858mg18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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