This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Immerse yourself in a bit of heaven with this Italian White Bean Soup. Buttery and soft cannellini beans pair with tantalizing herbs to be slowly simmered to perfection. Serve with some crusty bread or bruschetta to finish off one beautiful dish.
Jump to Recipe
Italian White Bean Soup
When you take your first spoonful of this bean soup, if you’re not buckling at the knees, you must be superhuman. It’s heavier than my wild chanterelle mushroom soup, and just as hearty as my borlotti beans and Italian vegetable soup.
In other words, it’s the perfect soup recipe. There’s no use in saying otherwise, because I just know it’s not true. One bite of those soft, buttery beans with all that herb-infused flavor and the world fades away. Yes, this soup is that dreamy.
Did I mention it’s naturally vegan? An authentic and swoon-worthy Italian dish that sneaks in the aspect of being vegan? It has to be heaven just like this Italian cabbage, so sign me up!
White Bean Soup Ingredients:
- Dry White Beans
- Aromatics: Onion + Garlic
- Herbs: Rosemary, Bay Leaves, Sage
- Celery
- Carrot
- Smoked Applewood Sea Salt
- Vegetable Broth
- Nutritional Yeast
How to Make Italian White Bean Soup from Scratch:
- Soak – Prep and soak the beans.
- Saute – Saute the aromatics: onion (or leek), celery, and carrot until soft. Add the garlic.
- Simmer – Add the beans, water, and herbs. Simmer for 45 minutes.
- Season – Add the salt and nutritional yeast. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
As with any soup, especially a hearty Italian soup like this one, you can never go wrong with a nice hunk of crusty bread. Using day-old bread is the traditional way to go. This is because it’s had time to firm up a bit and really soak up the juices of the soup. It’s ok if you melt into your soup with some:
- Ciabatta Bread
- Focaccia
- Tomato Bruschetta
- Rustic Italian Crusty Bread
- Tomato Onion Salad
- Italian Dinner Rolls.
Tips + FAQ
- Bean soup add-ins – This soup recipe does well with random add-ins. Some of my top choices are Lacinato kale, baby spinach, Italian beyond sausage, and liquid smoke.
- What are Italian white beans called? – Cannellini beans! You can actually interchange these beans with other white beans such as northern beans.
- How do you add flavor to bean soup? Spices, herbs, vegetable broth, liquid smoke, etc. are all delicious options for giving a pop of flavor to your soup recipe.
- Are butter beans the same as white beans? Butter beans are baby lima beans, another type of white bean, just like cannellini and northern beans but I would not recommend using them here.
- Can I use canned beans? If you’re in a pinch yes, but a lot of the magic of this soup comes from the broth the beans and herbs are cooked in. If you must use canned beans, just go for this Tuscan White Bean and Kale Soup instead.
More Soup Recipes:
- Tuscan Tomato Soup
- Tomato Gazpacho
- Creamy Kale Soup
- Potato Stew
- Vegan Mushroom Soup
- Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup
- Zuppa Toscana
- Ribollita
- Mushroom Stew
- Borlotti Beans.
4.84 from 6 votes
Italian White Bean Soup
Immerse yourself in a bit of heaven with this Italian White Bean Soup. Buttery and soft cannellini beans pair with tantalizing herbs to be slowly simmered to perfection. Serve with some bruschetta to finish off one beautiful dish.
Print Recipe
Prep Time:15 minutes mins
Cook Time:45 minutes mins
Soaking the Beans:6 hours hrs
Total Time:7 hours hrs
Ingredients
- 3 cups white beans
- 1 leek or yellow onion diced
- 1 carrot chopped
- 1 celery stalk chopped
- 7 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 sprig sage
- 1 bay leaves
- 8 cups water or vegetable stock
- 1.5 tsp smoked applewood sea salt (or liquid smoke)
- 1 -2 Tbsp Nutritional yeast optional
- bread + garlic for bruschetta (1 slice/ person)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
Rinse and pick the beans then cover them with water and soak for 6 hours or overnight. Drain.
In a large heavy bottom pot heat up a good lug of olive oil and saute the leek (or onion) with the carrot and celery until they begin to soften.
Quickly stir in the chopped garlic and cook for a few seconds just until fragrant then add the soaked beans.
Pour in the water and bring to a constant simmer. Add the bay, sage and rosemary, cover with a lid and cook for 45 minutes or until the beans are soft and tender to your liking.
Check the beans half way through cooking and see if you might need to add extra water if they are absorbing lots of liquid.
Once your beans are perfectly cooked remove from heat, stir in the nutritional yeast and season to taste with the smoked sea salt.
Meanwhile grill the bread on both sides until nice dark char marks form. Rub each slice on both sides with a garlic clove, lightly brush with some olive oil and finish with sea salt.
Ladle the soup into bowls and tear chunks of the garlic bruschetta over the top. Finish with a light drizzle of olive oil on top and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Bean soup add-ins - Lacinato kale, baby spinach, Italian beyond sausage, liquid smoke etc.
- What are Italian white beans called? - Cannellini beans! You can actually interchange these beans with other white beans such as northern beans.
- Are butter beans the same as white beans? Butter beans are baby lima beans, another type of white bean, just like cannellini and northern beans but I would not recommend using them here.
- Can I use canned beans? If you’re in a pinch yes, but a lot of the magic of this soup comes from the broth the beans and herbs are cooked in. If you must use canned beans, just go for this Tuscan White Bean and Kale Soup instead.
Nutrition
Calories: 108kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 464mg | Potassium: 446mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1491IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 3mg
Course: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Italian soup, Vegan, white bean soup
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 108kcal
Author: Florentina
You’ll Also Love:
