Healthy, hearty, simple, and super easy to make, this savory White Bean Soup is ready in under 30 minutes!
Veggies, beans, chicken broth, seasonings, pasta, and kale (or spinach if you prefer) are simmered until tender, then topped with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese!
Tuscan-style soup is a budget-friendly addition to any table!
Why We Love this Soup
This White Bean soup is so easy to make, and can be ready in less than 30 minutes!
I love this soup because you can add almost anything to it! Toss in any fresh or canned vegetables you have, or even leftover roasted vegetables.
This budget-friendly recipe is a great meatless meal, or add in ground sausage, sliced Italian sausage or ground beef to stretch this soup even further!
Ingredients/Variations
VEGGIES This soup is full of fresh veggies like onion, carrots, celery, and kale! Other veggies that go well in this soup include zucchini, mushrooms, and roasted eggplant to name a few.
No Kale? No problem, substitute spinach by adding it in the last 3 minutes of cooking.
BEANS Cannellini beans are also known as white kidney beans, but Great Northern or Navy will work well in this recipe too (as would red kidney beans if they’re what you have on hand.)
If using dried beans, soak them first, rinse the soaking water and simmer them until tender before adding to the soup!
PASTA The addition of pasta really completes this soup! Use rotini, fusilli, penne or even elbow macaroni noodles.
BROTH Homemade broth or stock is best of course but store bought will work too.
SPICES Italian seasoning brings all the flavors of this soup together. Homemade Italian Seasoning is flavorful, colorful and will add just the right amount of spice to this soup!
MEAT This dish is meatless but you can add Italian sausage, meatballs, or ground chicken!
How to Make White Bean Soup
Three easy steps are all it takes to have this comforting soup on the table.
- Saute onion in oil until tender.
- Add remaining ingredients (per recipe below) except kale, pasta & Parmesan cheese. Bring to a boil.
- Add kale & pasta, simmer until the pasta is tender.
Top with parmesan cheese and serve with a fresh loaf of bread or a side salad for a complete meal!
Tips for Perfect White Bean Soup
This easy soup is practically fool-proof but the following are some easy tips for the perfect soup every time!
- If adding meat, cook first before adding to the soup.
- If you don’t have pasta on hand, try adding rice, orzo, or quinoa instead.
- Pasta is best if this soup is eaten right after cooking. If you will be saving leftovers, cook the pasta separately and add to each bowl.
- This recipe doubles well and freezes well for an easy dinner later!
And be sure to let it simmer for the full time listed to ensure the flavors time to blend together!
How to Store
Don’t let any of this yummy soup go to waste! Store in the fridge or freezer and reheat when ready to enjoy. Remember to cook the pasta separately if you will be saving leftovers.
To Refrigerate: Store it in an airtight container until ready to reheat. White bean soup tastes great the next day because all of the flavors have had time to blend together!
To Freeze: ladle it into zippered bags and write the date on the outside. Freeze the soup flat and then stack upright to save space in the freezer. Thaw out and reheat using the steps above.
To Reheat: heat up leftover soup on the stove or in the microwave and refresh with a dash of salt and pepper. Sprinkle on fresh Parmesan cheese before serving.
Delicious Soup Recipes
- Italian Bean Soup – budget-friendly
- Ham and Bean Soup {Crock Pot Version} – great for leftovers
- Beef and Macaroni Soup – hearty & filling!
- Pasta Fagioli Soup Recipe – classic Italian soup
- Classic Chicken Noodle Soup – made from scratch
- Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup – set it & forget it
- Black Bean Soup – freezer-friendly
- Slow Cooker Turkey Vegetable Soup – budget-friendly
Did you love this White Bean Soup? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 carrot sliced
- 2 ribs celery sliced
- 15 ounces canned cannellini beans 1 can, or navy beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup water or as needed
- 1 cup rotini fusilli or penne, uncooked
- ⅔ cup chopped kale
Optional Garnish
- 1 tablespoon pesto optional
- 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook onion in olive oil until tender. Add carrot, celery, beans, seasoning, broth, and water.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
- Add kale and pasta and simmer an additional 8-10 minutes or just until pasta is tender.
- If using, stir in 1 tablespoon pesto. Ladle into serving bowls and top with parmesan cheese.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Lunch, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American, Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Super quick & delish! I used garbanzo- didn’t have the others, added garlic just before onions were done, used veggie stock, and added mushroom bullion. Finally, I had a bag of frozen spinach, steamed in micro & added just before soup finished! Cooked vegetable penne separately & added prepared pesto – can’t wait to make it again!
Sounds delicious, Paula! So happy you enjoyed it!
I love this soup! I add minced garlic or garlic powder, sometimes cubed zucchini, and spinach. It’s a very easy and flexible recipe.
We are still going strong with this flexible soup recipe. It’s still our favourite, and we’ve been making it between once a week to once a month during almost the past year.
Today’s soup has navy beans, conchigliette (although we prefer a slightly larger pasta), baby spinach & baby arugula mix (added in the last 2 minutes), parmesan rind, 1/2 a can of chopped tomatoes that needed to be used up, 1/2 a small zucchini, and 1 cup of chopped celery leaves. Since the canned tomatoes are a bit acidic, they were cooked with the carrots and celery as a second step for a few minutes, before adding the beans, broth, seasoning, and parm rind.
Also if we are making the soup to keep in the fridge for lunches in the next few days and we do not want to cook pasta separately, we only add in 1/8 to 1/4 cup (or 1-2 small handfuls) of pasta, so the pasta will not absorb all the broth.
Thank you for sharing all of your tips Minnie, your version sounds delicious!
I’ve made this four times now since we all liked it so much and it disappeared. It’s a great recipe for using pantry staples, for making substitutions and for using up what you have. It’s also super easy, not very time consuming, and tasty.
I’ve been making this and adding a Parmesan rind to the broth, upping the Italian spice (when I don’t have pesto) to 1.5 tsp -2 tsp depending on the quality of the spice blend, and using spinach instead of kale, adding it in the last 1-3 minutes depending on the maturity of the spinach.
I’ve used farfalle (bowtie pasta) most times, which means a longer cooking time, and it’s been fine.
My favourite beans to use were navy beans since they are slightly sweeter than canellini beans.
This will definitely be in my weekly rotation. I’ll probably add in various other veggie bits like red pepper or parsley, depending on what needs to be used up.
Those sound like delicious additions Minnie! Thanks for sharing.
I made this soup the same day I saw the recipe, and it is wonderful! I added 1/4 tsp. of garlic powder and a teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder, but other than that, followed the recipe exactly. It is a keeper! Thank you for sharing it!