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While simple and straightforward, this Easy Italian White Bean Soup is absolutely outstanding.
The creamy white beans in a bright, lemony and parmesan-y broth come together for a dinner that you will just ooh and ahh over. My husband, a soup skeptic, devoured not one, not two, but three bowls of this soup. He couldn’t believe how delicious it was. The two of us nearly downed the entire pot.
During these difficult times while we are cooking using pantry-centric ingredients– don’t forget that simple doesn’t have to mean boring. You can combine beautiful, simple flavors to create outstanding dinners, just like this Italian White Bean soup. Be confident in the kitchen and make yourself proud with creating something beautiful out of simple ingredients.
looking for more cozy soup recipes? try these!
Chickpea and Farro Soup with Escarole
Easy Italian White Bean Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 ounces bacon or ham, diced small (from about 4 strips of bacon)
- 1½ cups diced yellow onion (from about 1 large onion)
- 1 cup diced celery (from about 2 stalks)
- 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3-4 tablespoons white wine
- 2 (15-ounce) cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed (no salt added)
- 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1 Parmesan cheese rind
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 3 cups baby spinach
- juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
Optional, for serving:
- grated Parmesan cheese
- flat leaf parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven (or large soup pot) over medium heat.
- Add the olive oil and bacon and cook, stirring, until the bacon is almost cooked, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the onion, celery, garlic, and chili flakes and a pinch of salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the white wine and continue to cook, stirring and scraping up any of the browned bits on the bottom, until the wine has reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
- Add the beans, broth, cheese rind, rosemary, oregano, bay leaf, lemon zest, salt, and pepper and bring contents to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a light simmer (about medium-low heat), cover, and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in spinach, if using, and the juice of a lemon. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if desired. Continue to cook, uncovered and simmering, for about 5 minutes.
- Serve in bowls and top with a tiny drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of grated parmesan and parsley. Enjoy.
Notes
- To freeze, let the soup cool completely, then transfer it to airtight containers or freezer bags, leaving some space for expansion. Label and date the containers before placing them in the freezer.
- To thaw, move the container to the refrigerator and let it defrost overnight, or for a quicker option, use the microwave’s defrost setting. Further reheat the soup or stew in a pot on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it reaches a simmer, or microwave it in intervals, stirring in between, until heated through.
- If you feel like the contents of the soup (i.e. noodles, rice, etc.) soaked up most of the liquid, you can add 1 to 2 cups more broth to rehydrate the soup and get it to the desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Outstanding! I didn’t expect all the flavor with it being so simple, wowzers! I used ham steak instead of bacon out of laziness and it was delicious. I doubled the recipe and realized I only had two cans of beans (whoops), so it was more broth like a soup and still fantastic! I am dairy free so left out the cheese rind and I don’t feel like it was missing anything. You’re the best, thanks for sharing this one!
So glad that those substitutions worked for you!
This recipe is a sneaky banger!! I’ve made it twice now, and will officially be adding into my regular soup rotation. The flavors are simple, but so good. I’ve been trying to add more beans into my diet for protein/fiber and this is such an easy way to do so without getting bored of the beans.
Hi! Can I make this in a crockpot?? Yum!
I haven’t tried making it in a Crockpot but let me know how it goes!
Delicious, I had it at a Dinner party on Saturday night and made it on the Sunday. The flavour of the bacon intensifies over a couple of days, it is a Soup that just keeps getting tastier.
This soup is so deceiving! It is really simple but has so much flavor. A real crowd pleaser at my house! This will definitely go into rotation.
Such an easy and tasty soup! Just the right amount of flavor.
Another banger! Perfect for our family’s NE winter stew/soup season. Appreciate the subs notes within the recipe. Thanks again, Alex!
I wanted WHITE BEAN SOUP, not Stew
Add more broth if you don’t love the broth ratio!