Tuscan White Bean Soup

Tuscan White Bean Soup is the ultimate easy weeknight dinner made with simple pantry staples and fresh veggies. It’s hearty, comforting, and packed with flavor from tender beans, herbs, and savory broth. Even better, it tastes just as amazing (if not better!) the next day when the flavors have had time to meld together.

Love More Soup Recipes? Try My Easy Taco Soup with Ranch or this Easy Tuscan Chickpea Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Easy to make with simple pantry staples, this soup comes together without stress. It’s packed with plant-based protein from beans, making it hearty and satisfying. Every spoonful is full of flavor while still being naturally gluten-free. Plus, it’s perfect for meal prep—one pot gives you nourishing lunches or dinners all week.

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Ingredient List

Base Vegetables:

• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Main Ingredients:

• 3 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• ⅓ cup white wine (optional but adds great depth)
• 2–4 cups vegetable or chicken broth (adjust for desired thickness)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cups chopped kale (stems removed)

Seasonings:

• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional for heat)
• ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano

Sometimes the store doesn’t have cannellini beans. Sometimes you grab the wrong can because you’re shopping with three kids and your brain is mush. Navy beans, Great Northern, whatever white beans you can find work fine. This isn’t MasterChef.

Why These Ingredients Work

Okay so I figured out this bean thing totally by accident. I was stirring the soup and got distracted by my daughter asking me to help find her other shoe (it was on her foot the whole time). When I came back I’d accidentally smashed a bunch of beans against the side of the pot. But guess what? That made the whole thing creamy and amazing without adding any cream or milk.

The onion-carrot-celery situation is just what my mom always did. She’d get genuinely annoyed if I tried to skip steps when she was teaching me to cook. “You build flavor in layers,” she’d say while waving her wooden spoon around. Turns out she knew what she was talking about.

White wine happened because I had half a bottle left from book club and my husband doesn’t drink it. Figured it was better in the soup than down the drain. Now I actually buy those little bottles just for cooking because it makes everything taste fancy even when I’m wearing yesterday’s yoga pants.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Big pot (I use the same one I make spaghetti in)
• Sharp knife (or at least sharper than the butter knife I used to use)
• Cutting board that doesn’t slide around the counter
• Can opener
• My ancient blender that sounds like a jet engine but still works
• Measuring cups
• Wooden spoon for stirring and accidental bean-smashing

How To Make Tuscan White Bean Soup

Sauté the Base Vegetables

Get your pot going with some olive oil over medium heat. Dump in all the chopped stuff – onion, garlic, carrots, celery. Just let it cook while you clean up the cutting board mess or referee whatever argument is happening in the living room. Stir it every few minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when it smells so good that people start wandering into the kitchen asking what’s for dinner.

Deglaze with White Wine

This is my favorite part because I feel like I’m on a cooking show. Pour that wine in and listen to it sizzle. Stir it around and let it cook off – takes about five minutes. My dog always comes running when she hears that sizzle because she knows something good is about to happen.

Add the Beans and Seasonings

Time for the dump-and-stir phase. In go the beans, tomato paste (I squeeze it straight from the tube because I’m classy like that), and all the seasonings. Add about two and a half cups of broth to start. Don’t worry about being super precise – I eyeball pretty much everything. Stir it all up and try to fish out the bay leaves before someone accidentally eats one.

Simmer to Perfection

Bring it up to a boil then turn it down and stick a lid on it. This is when I usually start another load of laundry or help with homework or just stand there for a minute without anyone asking me for anything. Fifteen minutes of peaceful bubbling while all the flavors get acquainted.

Create That Creamy Texture

First, hunt down those bay leaves before they disappear forever. Then scoop out about half the soup and blend it. My blender is loud enough to wake the neighbors but it gets the job done. Pour the smooth stuff back in and stir. This is what makes people think you’re some kind of cooking genius when really you just smashed some beans.

Add the Kale

Throw in the kale and watch it magically shrink down to nothing. Takes maybe two minutes to wilt completely. If your kids are kale-resistant like mine used to be, chop it really small and they might not even notice it’s there. Or they might still complain. Kids are weird.

Final Seasoning and Serving

Taste it and fix whatever needs fixing. More salt, more pepper, more broth if it’s too thick. I always squeeze some lemon juice in at the end because my mom taught me that lemon makes everything better and she’s basically never wrong about food stuff.

You Must Know

Cooking those vegetables first. I tried to shortcut it once when I was running late for soccer practice. The soup tasted like boring bean water. Those ten minutes of sautéing actually matter.

My Personal Secret: I smash some beans against the pot with my wooden spoon before adding the broth. Makes it super creamy without having to blend half the soup. Discovered this by accident when I got distracted but now I do it on purpose every time.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Start with less broth – you can always add more but you can’t un-add it
• No wine? I’ve used a splash of vinegar instead and nobody knew the difference
• Some days I want chunky soup, some days smooth soup. Blend more or less depending on your mood
• Kale goes in at the very end or it gets all mushy and gross

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Meat version: Brown some Italian sausage first, then cook everything else in that pan Spicy kick: More red pepper flakes or some hot sauce at the end Rich version: Splash of cream right before serving makes it extra indulgent Fresh herbs: Use fresh instead of dried if you’ve got them – about half the amount

Make-Ahead Options

This soup is one of those magical things that tastes better tomorrow. I make a giant batch on Sunday and we eat it all week. Sometimes I freeze half in those ziplock bags and lay them flat in the freezer so they stack like books.

Word of warning – don’t fill your containers all the way to the top before freezing. Learned that lesson when I opened my freezer to find soup everywhere. What a mess.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

This soup is basically foolproof. Sometimes I have extra vegetables so I throw them in. Sometimes I use spinach instead of kale because that’s what didn’t go bad in my fridge. The whole point is using what you have and making something that tastes good.

It gets thicker when it sits in the fridge. That’s just what beans do. Add more broth when you reheat it and it’ll be perfect again.

Serving Suggestions

I serve this with whatever bread we have around. Sometimes it’s the fancy bakery stuff, sometimes it’s sandwich bread I toasted because that’s all we had. Both work fine. A little cheese on top never hurt anyone.

It’s filling enough that nobody complains they’re still hungry but not so heavy that you feel gross after. Perfect for those nights when you need something that feels like a warm hug.

How to Store Your Tuscan White Bean Soup

Fridge: Good for about a week in whatever containers you have lying around. Gets thicker every day. Freezer: Lasts forever if you freeze it right. I use freezer bags because containers take up too much space. Reheating: Stovetop is best but microwave works too. Just add broth until it looks soupy again and stir a lot.

Allergy Information

Good news for people dealing with allergies – this is naturally pretty safe. No dairy, no nuts, no gluten if your broth is gluten-free. Use vegetable broth instead of chicken and it’s vegetarian too.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use dried beans?

Sure but you need to soak them overnight and cook them first. I’m usually not that organized so canned beans it is.

My kid won’t eat anything green. Now what?

Try spinach – it’s milder. Or chop the kale tiny. Or just leave it out. Your kitchen, your rules.

Do I really need the wine?

Nope. Nice if you have it but not necessary. I’ve made it both ways and it’s good either way.

Slow cooker version?

Cook the vegetables first, then dump everything except kale in the slow cooker for like six hours. Add kale in the last thirty minutes.

💬 Made this soup? Tell me how it went! Especially if you figured out any new ways to sneak vegetables past picky eaters – I need all the help I can get!