Tuscan White Bean Soup (Printable)

A hearty white bean soup with fresh vegetables and herbs, served with crisp garlic bread.

# What You’ll Use:

→ For the Soup

01 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
07 - 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
08 - 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
09 - 2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
10 - 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
11 - 4 cups vegetable broth
12 - 2 cups chopped fresh spinach or kale
13 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
14 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
15 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice

→ For the Garlic Bread

16 - 1 baguette or Italian loaf, sliced
17 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
18 - 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
19 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
20 - Pinch of salt

# How-To:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 6 to 7 minutes until vegetables soften and become translucent.
02 - Add minced garlic, dried thyme, dried rosemary, and chili flakes to the pot. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in drained cannellini beans and diced tomatoes. Pour in vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
04 - Add chopped spinach or kale to the soup and simmer for an additional 5 minutes until greens are wilted. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
05 - While the soup simmers, preheat your oven broiler to high temperature.
06 - In a small bowl, combine softened butter, minced garlic, chopped parsley, and a pinch of salt. Mix until well incorporated.
07 - Spread garlic butter mixture evenly over bread slices. Arrange bread on a baking sheet and broil for 2 to 3 minutes until golden and fragrant.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve hot with garlic bread on the side.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour, which means weeknight dinners feel less like a chore and more like a small victory.
  • The creamy beans and fresh greens create this deeply satisfying texture that makes you forget you're eating something so nutritionally smart.
  • Garlic bread alongside it feels like an indulgence, but it's honestly just butter, bread, and a little courage.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the canned beans—that starchy liquid will make your beautiful soup taste dull and metallic, and you'll wonder why it doesn't taste like much.
  • Taste the soup before you add spinach, because once the greens are in, the flavor profile shifts and it's harder to adjust seasoning; this one small step prevents disappointment.
  • If you're making this ahead, the soup actually tastes better the next day after flavors have settled and mingled overnight in the refrigerator.
03 -
  • Don't add salt to the broth itself if you're using store-bought vegetable stock—most broths are already salted, and you can always add more at the end but can't take it out once it's in.
  • Keep the garlic bread simple and don't overcomplicate it; butter, garlic, parsley, salt, and a hot broiler are all you need to create something people actually remember.
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