Tuscan White Bean Soup
This Tuscan White Bean Soup is a delicious and rustic soup made with cannellini beans, carrots, celery, kale and a handful of Italian herbs
Servings: 4
Calories: 166kcal
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ medium yellow onion, minced
- 4 large carrots, thinly sliced
- 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 15oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1½ tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ head of kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot or Dutch Oven to just below medium heat (think a setting of 4 out of 10). Add the extra virgin olive oil and onion and cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, stir and cover for 5 minutes. Stir and cover for another 5 minutes, repeating this process for 20 minutes total to create a sofrito (this adds extra flavor to the soup). Adjust the temperature as needed to ensure the vegetables do not burn. Add the garlic and stir for 1 more minute.
- Add the chicken broth, cannellini beans, tomato paste, salt, bay leaves, thyme, basil, black pepper, oregano, and rosemary. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves.
- Remove about 2 ½ cups of the soup, blend it in a blender, and return it to the soup. This creates a creamy texture without the cream. Or use an immersion blender.
- Add the kale, simmer for 1 minute (or consider adding it to individual bowls, which helps if reheating any remaining soup the next day). Add the lemon juice, stir and remove from the heat. Serve, adjusting the salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Soffritto: A soffritto is made by slowly cooking vegetables to extract flavor and create depth in soups or sauces. I use this technique here to make an awesome, delicious soup.
- Creamy Broth: To make a creamy broth without any cream, I use 3 full cans of cannellini beans and blend a portion of the soup to create a creamy texture.
- Acid: To balance the richness of the soup and bring out the flavor, add a splash of lemon (acidity) at the end.
- Customize: If you want the soup to be thinner, add a little more chicken stock (or water). For a thicker soup, let it simmer a few minutes longer to thicken up.
- Add More Protein: Though I find this soup plenty filling, if you want to add more protein, feel free to toss in some rotisserie chicken or cooked Italian sausage.
- Kale and Leftovers: If you plan to eat all the soup right away, add the kale directly to the pot and let it soften. However, if you are considering having any leftovers, I’d recommend adding the kale directly to individual bowls topped with hot soup, which will also soften the kale. This enables you to have fresh kale in your bowl the next day, which is just a much better experience than day-old-soup-kale.
Nutrition
Calories: 166kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 1586mg | Potassium: 552mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 13922IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 162mg | Iron: 3mg
