Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery, and cook until soft and fragrant.
Next, stir in the cannellini beans, vegetable broth, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, red chili flakes, black pepper, and salt. Heat the soup to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer.
Transfer some of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth OR use an immersion blender in the pot and blend a few times to create a creamier texture.
Pour the soup back into the pot and thin it with more vegetable broth if needed. Stir in the chopped kale or spinach and simmer until the leaves wilt.
To finish, stir in the lemon juice. Taste the soup and adjust the flavor as desired (more salt and pepper to round out the flavors or red pepper flakes for a balanced heat).
Frequently asked questions
Canned cannellini beans are the best because their soft, buttery texture helps them melt into the soup. If you can’t find cannellini beans, use Great Northern beans, white navy beans, or butter beans as a substitute. Even chickpeas will work.
A thick and creamy white bean soup is best, in my opinion! After all, this is a cold weather meal, and the more luxurious and creamy it is, the better.
Want it even thicker? Give it a stew-like consistency by starting with 3.5 to 4 cups of broth and/or blending 2 to 3 cups of the soup.
For a thinner soup, use the full 5 cups of broth (plus more if needed) and/or only blend 1 cup of the soup.
I haven’t tested it but a crockpot should be fine to use. To do so, sauté the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery in a pot on the stove before dumping the mixture into a slow cooker along with the cannellini beans, vegetable broth, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, red chili flakes, black pepper, and salt. Place the lid on top and cook on High for 2 to 3 hours or on Low for 4 to 5 hours.
Blend and thin out the soup as normal. Pour it back into the crockpot, stir in the kale, and continue cooking for 30 minutes. Add the lemon juice and adjust the flavor as needed, then serve and enjoy.
Use sauté mode to cook the veggie mixture, then pour in the cannellini beans, vegetable broth, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, red chili flakes, black pepper, and salt. Seal the lid on top and cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes.
Release the remaining pressure before blending the soup. Turn sauté mode back on, stir in the greens, and cook until they wilt. Turn off sauté mode, stir in the lemon juice and additional seasonings, and then serve.
Once cool, you can store the leftover white bean soup in airtight containers in the fridge for about 4 or 5 days. It also freezes well for 2 months.
White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 large carrots peeled and sliced into coins
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 4 15-ounce cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 4-5 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt more to taste
- 3 cups chopped kale or baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- optional shredded parmesan I used Violife
Instructions
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Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring frequently for about 4-5 minutes.
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Now add the drained and rinsed cannellini beans, vegetable broth, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, red chili flakes, black pepper and salt. Stir well.
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Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes, uncovered.
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Transfer about 2 cups of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer the blended soup back to the pot. Alternatively, use an immersion blender and blend a few times to create a creamier texture.
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Stir well. If the soup is too thick, add a bit more broth until it reaches your desired consistency.
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Stir in the chopped kale or spinach and let simmer for a few minutes until wilted (kale will take a few extra minutes to soften).
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Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and add more salt, pepper or red chili flakes as desired.
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Serve warm, perhaps with a side of crusty bread and a sprinkle of parmesan in each bowl. Enjoy!
