Tuscan Bean Soup with Vegetables is a healthy Italian soup loaded with fresh vegetables and white beans in a flavorful, savory broth. It’s packed with tons of healthy ingredients and makes a delicious bowl of soup perfect for lunch or dinner.
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Soup is a classic cold-weather dish, and I love making it. This Tuscan bean soup is one of my favorite soups to make. It’s a delicious Italian soup recipe with lots of veggies, protein, and fiber making a healthy meal with great flavor. It’s a great dish to serve when you want something filling that won’t weigh you down.
I make a lot of meaty and creamy soups. They’re delicious, but sometimes, I want something a little lighter. That’s when I turn to this Italian soup. It’s especially great to serve during the winter when being cozy is the name of the game. Now you can have cozy and delicious. Perfection.
If you love soup too, you’ve got to try my creamy butternut squash soup or this tortellini soup next!
Why You Will Love This Tuscan White Bean Soup Recipe
- Packed With Veggies. I know I already said this, but this vegetable Tuscan soup is mostly vegetables and it really delivers on flavor.
- Budget-Friendly. Made with beans instead of meat, this dish makes an inexpensive option for a weeknight meal.
- Italian Vegetable Soup Everyone Loves. The combination of vegetables, bread, savory broth, and white beans is one for the whole family!
Ingredients
As a soup with peasant origins, the ingredients for this Tuscan white bean soup recipe are very simple. There are no bells and whistles here. It’s an easy combination that comes together creating delicious flavor.
- Aromatics: Onion and fresh garlic add depth of flavor to the soup’s broth.
- Vegetables: Carrots, zucchini, and tomato are the main vegetables in this white bean Tuscan soup.
- Tuscan kale: Also called lacinato kale or dinosaur kale it’s a dark green leafy vegetable with large leaves. It’s quite different from curly kale but this variety of kale will work in a pinch.
- Olive oil: Just a bit for cooking the vegetables at the start of the soup.
- Red pepper flakes: Gives the Tuscan white bean soup a bit of a kick. You can add a bit more if you want more spice.
- Fresh Herbs: Fresh sage leaves and parsley infuse the soup with flavor.
- Cannellini beans: The classic Italian white bean with the perfect creamy texture for soup. You can swap it for another white bean if you prefer.
- Vegetable broth: My preference for this soup is a vegetable broth but you can certainly use beef or chicken broth, especially if you’re adding meat. Choose a low-sodium if you prefer it.
- Bread: I usually reach for sourdough bread for its unique flavor. You can also use a multigrain bread as well.
- Parmesan cheese: A sprinkle of cheese over the bowl of soup really takes things up a notch but it’s completely optional.
Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for the full list of ingredients and the quantities you need of each one.
Variations
From slight variations to going way outside the box, you can do almost anything with this Italian bean soup to create something new and delicious. Although it won’t technically be a classic Tuscan bean soup, it will still be tasty!
- Different Vegetables: Feel free to add any sort of vegetable that you enjoy to this recipe, the more the merrier. From green beans, corn, baby spinach leaves, cabbage, potatoes and more, you can literally put almost any vegetable you can think of into this soup.
- Add Some Meat: I love to add ham or Italian sausage to this Italian white bean soup from time to time but almost any meat will work. Try it with cooked ground meat, beef, or rotisserie chicken as well.
How to Make Tuscan White Bean Soup with Vegetables
Making this Tuscan white bean and kale soup is so easy. It takes relatively little work and the cooking process is simple. You’ll be in and out of the kitchen in no time, and you’ll have a delicious soup that’s full of flavor and health benefits.
Step 1: Gather and Prep the Ingredients. Dice the onion, peel and dice the carrots and zucchini, dice the tomato, mince the garlic, and roughly chop the kale. Remove the leaves from the parsley.
Step 2: Cook the Vegetables. In a large saucepan or large soup pot over medium high heat, heat the olive oil. Cook the onion, garlic, carrots, red pepper flakes, and sage in olive oil in a large pot until softened but not browned. Add the parsley, tomato, and zucchini and cook for a few minutes.
Step 3: Finish the Soup. Add the kale, beans, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 4: Add Bread and Serve. Season the soup with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Chop the bread into cubes. Arrange the bread cubes in the soup and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese shavings and a drizzle of olive oil. Add desired amount of soup to individual bowls
Storage Tips
- Store: Leftover soup keep well in an air-tight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Freezing: For best results, you want slightly undercook the vegetables for the portion of the soup you plan to freeze. This helps to combat mushy vegetables when reheating the soup. Scoop out the portion of soup you want to freeze while the vegetables are still a bit undercooked. They will finish cooking when you reheat the soup and turn out perfectly.
- Reheating: You can microwave individual bowls or heat it over medium low heat in a pot until it’s hot.
Expert Tips
- Thicker Soup: If you prefer a thicker soup, you can blend 1 cup of the soup and then add it back in. This will help it thicken without needing any flour or cornstarch.
- Use a Good Quality Broth: This really does make a difference. Make sure it’s got a good flavor on its own and is more than just colored water.
Recipe FAQs
They are. Ribollita is the Italian name for this soup (stew). It originally began as a way to stretch leftover minestrone soup, but over time, it evolved into its own unique dish.
Any kind of dense, hearty bread will work, but I’m partial to sourdough bread. The tangy flavor of the bread goes perfectly with the flavors of the soup.
I really don’t recommend serving anything with this soup. It’s a complete rustic meal with peasant origins, so it’s meant to be a total meal all by itself. It’s even served with crusty bread right in the soup. If you want to add something more, I would recommend serving a light salad along with it.
This Tuscan white bean soup is so hearty and filling. It’s also healthy, which is a huge bonus. If you want to take a break from heavy soups, give this Tuscan vegetable soup a try. It’s warming and filling without weighing you down, and that’s a great combination. It’s also incredibly easy to make, too! Give it a try, and I know you’ll love it.
More Soup Recipes You’ll Love
And, here is a delicious Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup from Great Grub, Delicious Treats that you might enjoy too!
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Tuscan White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 1 zucchini
- 1 tomato
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale
- 1 handful parsley
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 10 sage leaves
- 15 ounce can cannellini beans, or 1 ½ cups cooked, drained
- 32 ounce vegetable broth
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
- Multigrain or wholegrain sourdough bread
- Parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
- Dice the onion. Peel and dice the carrot and zucchini. Dice the tomato. Mince the garlic. Roughly chop the kale. Remove the leaves from the parsley.
- In a large soup pot or large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion garlic, carrots, red pepper flakes, and sage to pot, reduce heat and cook over low heat for 20 minutes until softened but not browned. Add the parsley, tomato, and zucchini and cook for a few minutes.
- Add the kale and beans (drained if canned), and cover with vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
- Chop the bread into cubes. To serve, arrange the bread cubes in the soup and add Parmesan cheese shavings and a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
- Thicker Soup: If you prefer a thicker soup, you can blend 1 cup of the soup and then add it back in. This will help it thicken without needing any flour or cornstarch.
- Use a Good Quality Broth: This really does make a difference. Make sure it’s got a good flavor on its own and is more than just colored water.
