Hearty and healthy soup that is a favorite with friends and family. Sounds more difficult than it is. Try it! We're positive you'll be pleased. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.
I love Tuscan White Bean soup. This recipe is a good base, however many of the suggested modifications should be considered. Chicken or vegetable broth, extra garlic, and extra thyme & rosemary. I prefer using broccoli over spinach for much more taste. As a final touch, three necessities: 1. Fresh Parsley! About a handful chopped. Really adds a fresh taste. 2. Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Stir in about a 1/4 cup at the very end. Can't make a decent italian soup without using a decent olive oil. 3. And finally, some freshly grated quality parmesan cheese on top. None of that store shelf canned stuff. Good cheese goes a long, long way.
Read More Only an average, 3-star recipe as written with obvious flaws, but I saw its potential to become something wonderful so I made this knowing I would be putting my spin on it. I can say for certain that Italians wouldn't use vegetable oil, so it wouldn't be used in soup either...change to olive oil. The soup looked like it needed a serious boost of flavor, so I started by using some homemade chicken broth I had in the freezer that also had pieces of chicken in it - and no water. I didn't understand why the submitter chose to dilute her soup with water! I also sauteed some chopped bacon (more flavor!) in a little olive oil, then added the onions, celery and extra garlic and thyme. I think these changes really did the trick because this turned out to be really outstanding! I served it with a mix of freshly grated Parmesan and Romano cheeses, then gave it a finish of a drizzle of white truffle oil, which took this over the top! So with a couple of small but important changes this is definitely a 5-star soup!
Read MoreI love Tuscan White Bean soup. This recipe is a good base, however many of the suggested modifications should be considered. Chicken or vegetable broth, extra garlic, and extra thyme & rosemary. I prefer using broccoli over spinach for much more taste. As a final touch, three necessities: 1. Fresh Parsley! About a handful chopped. Really adds a fresh taste. 2. Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Stir in about a 1/4 cup at the very end. Can't make a decent italian soup without using a decent olive oil. 3. And finally, some freshly grated quality parmesan cheese on top. None of that store shelf canned stuff. Good cheese goes a long, long way.
Only an average, 3-star recipe as written with obvious flaws, but I saw its potential to become something wonderful so I made this knowing I would be putting my spin on it. I can say for certain that Italians wouldn't use vegetable oil, so it wouldn't be used in soup either...change to olive oil. The soup looked like it needed a serious boost of flavor, so I started by using some homemade chicken broth I had in the freezer that also had pieces of chicken in it - and no water. I didn't understand why the submitter chose to dilute her soup with water! I also sauteed some chopped bacon (more flavor!) in a little olive oil, then added the onions, celery and extra garlic and thyme. I think these changes really did the trick because this turned out to be really outstanding! I served it with a mix of freshly grated Parmesan and Romano cheeses, then gave it a finish of a drizzle of white truffle oil, which took this over the top! So with a couple of small but important changes this is definitely a 5-star soup!
Wonderful with the following additions: double garlic,l/4 more beans, use chix broth in place of water, add onion salt and chix boullion to taste, add 3 teaspoons fresh Rosemary,double the lemon juice. Cut up your spinich about 3/4" wide by 3/4" or you'll end up with long strings hanging from your spoon. Made such a hit last winter at a church supper months ago and I'm still being asking me for the recipe.
Being Italian, I *always* add more galic than recommended. This recipe is no exception. I used 4 good sized cloves instead of the one suggested. This is a variation of something I grew up with, which my mom affectionately called "greens & beans". It was more of two side dishes sort of put together; not a soup. Very, very much like mom's taste-wise. Super easy and warming on a cold evening. Served up with some chunky bread and a glass of wine ~ fantastic! Another suggestion; in addition to the parmesan cheese on top, drizzle evoo (extra virgin olive oil) on top and add more fresh cracked pepper...delish!
I loved this soup. I added 4c.fat free/low sodium chix broth. I also pureed 1 can of beans with more chix broth instead of the water. I sauteed the onions,celery, and 2 leeks in evoo first. I also added a box of frozen spinach. Great texture with the pureed and whole beans. Lots of fiber and healthy, I sprinkled mine with red pepper flakes and pecorino romano cheese!
This is a delicious soup with the modifications I included, some of which were suggested by other reviewers. I soaked 1 cup of cannelini beans in water the night before and simmered the beans for about an hour until soft. I added the thyme to the vegetables as I was sauteing them in olive oil. If it's a good olive oil, the taste is hard to beat. I added 3 tsp. or chicken base along with the vegetables and a TB. of tomato paste. I used a hand blender to blend the soup and then added a handful of macaroni. I did not add any salt as there's a lot of salt in the chicken base. A very satisfying soup. Thanks for the contribution.
This was really good! The lemon juice added a nice tang and brightened it up. I followed the suggestion to use a submersion blender, don't think I'll do that next time because it didn't get it as smooth as I would have like without breaking all the beans up. I also used some frozen chopped spinach and this worked well. I will definately make this again!
This just was not good. I tried to like it, but I couldn't. The whole family disliked it. In fact, my hubby is going to get a pizza right now. Sorry.
I loved this recipe. I added ( but didn't need too )smoked turkey sausage. A very healthy creamy soup.
I, too, took some advice from other reviewers. I used olive oil, added chicken, and used only chicken stock-no water. I also added a fair amount of garlic pepper mix, a bay leaf, Italian seasoning, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. When it had simmered for a while, I added the spinach to wilt. Finally, in went the lemon juice and the sprinkle of Parmesan. I saw no need to blend the soup. Wonderful flavor. We ate it with buttered crusty rolls. Molto bello dish!
So good! Changed a few things to suit my liking but overall used the base recipe. A must try!
This recipe should specify WHITE kidney (cannelini) beans, otherwise there is the problem with the tough skins on the red variety that don't want to blend. The 5 stars I'm giving are based on these changes I made: add 1 can roasted garlic diced tomatos, 1 tbs. tomato paste, 1 tbs. chopped fresh rosemary, 1 tsp. dried rubbed sage, increase the garlic, and don't use the thyme. I also agree with another reviewer that another can of beans is needed, although I just cut back on 1 cup of the liquid instead. I used all broth instead of the water. This recipe as is inspired me to experiment, and I think the spinach is the best part. Thanks!
I love this soup! I didn't have white kidney beans, so I substituted garbanzo beans. Italian seasoning provided fabulous flavor and chopped tomato gave this recipe color! Whole wheat rotini pasta is the perfect filler. Thanks for sharing!
This is a really yummy soup! I made a couple changes for more flavor; I used two cloves of garlic instead of one, and doubled the amount of thyme. I also added salt to taste, as it was a little bland. I loved the addition of the lemon juice in this recipe, as it gave a unique flavor twist that was very tasty. I used a handheld immersion blender to blend the soup, and was a little disappointed by the result, as it was not very smooth. Next time, I think I'll blend it until smooth in my Vitamix. Altogether, though, I really like this recipe and will make it again. Thanks for sharing!
This soup was fantastic! I added extra lemon as I was using it as a first course (so portions were small). Will definitely make again!
Pretty good. I found it a little bland, even though I used the juice of half a lemon and zested the lemon rind as well. If I had to do it over, I would increase the garlic and thyme as well. I also used an entire bunch of fresh spinach, and it was WAY too much (and I love spinach)...I was getting whole mouthsful of nothing but spinach, so better to cut that in half. But tasty overall, and will make again with alterations.
Yummy! I followed some advice from other commenters and added some additional garlic and swapped out the water for extra stock. I also added some turkey bacon at the end. Will definitely make again!
Really yummy & warming! We had to take a nap after eating this soup for lunch. I added some hot Italian sausage at the end of the cooking time.
This is one of the best soups I've ever made! My family also thought it LOOKED so elegant. I wouldn't change or add a thing to the recipe. It's perfect the way it is.
We found this soup very bland, so I added three more garlic,chicken cubes and cayenne. Was better the next day,but too thick so I added milk to thin.
Even with changes to enhance flavor per reviewers suggestions, it's still an okay soup. I do like that it's healthy.
I am always happy to find quick, healthy recipes like this. I used olive oil for flavor, more thyme and garlic,low-sodium organic chicken broth. The soup was a tad thin for my liking however it did thicken up when stored in the fridge overnight.
I made this with only minor modifications. I'm trying to save on groceries so I made it with dried white navy beans. It took about an hour to simmer to cook the dried beans after soaking. It was delicious. I'll definitely be making this often. It is economical and healthy too.
Yummy! I have made this soup twice, once with linguisa and once with chicken Italian sausage. Also, I had to make it with only one can of white kidney beans and one can of regular white beans (the store ran out of the white kidney beans). Both versions were wonderful. I also think that it would be good without the sausage.
This recipe is Fabulous with alittle chopped pancetta!!!Delicious Italian version of bean and bacon soup!!Delish
added more garlic, chopped basil, fennel seed, chopped carrot, crushed red pepper flakes and italian sausage--loved it with the additions
This is a delicious soup. Having to blend the soup is a little time consuming and adds a lot more cleanup, but it's really worth it in taste. I left out the thyme and it was still very flavorful. It goes wonderfully with slightly stale white bread. Almost a meal.
A delicious recipe. I do not own a blender; extracting the two cups of vegetables and mashing them into a paste with a fork worked well instead. I am a novice cook and this recipe yielded extremely tasty soup the first time. I was thinking of adding a little Worstershire next time. This would balance the hearty bean flavor with some tartness.
Amazing!!!! Followed the suggestions of others and added more garlic and fresh chopped rosemary. Also added more lemon juice (almost a full lemon). Used extra chicken broth instead of water and added turkey sausage. Wish I would have added another can of beans like other reviewers suggested. Used a handheld immersion blender instead of regular blender. I was afraid this would be bland, but it is DEFINITELY not!!! This will be added to our regular dinner rotation!
Sorry, but I did not care for this soup at all.When I read the recipe I thought it sounded bland, but because of the reviews I thought I would try it anyway. I added two boullion cubes and extra garlic, but I just don't think it was worth the effort.To those of you who did like it, I suggest adding some ditalini or other small macaroni to make it heartier.
This soup was absolutely delicious. My entire family loved it. My children couldn't believe that they had just eaten beans and spinach. I think it would be a great soup even if you didn't have any spinach in it.
Yum! Super easy to make, creamy and light. I will probably double this recipe next time, as there was almost no leftovers after my husband and I had it for dinner.
All you need to complete this recipe is a crusty loaf of bread and a good bottle of wine. I only used a handful of spinach.
Absolutely yummy! I've made this several times and have served it to guests and neighbors. Everyone loves it! So comforting! I followed some of the suggestions - didn't dilute with water, if I felt it needed more liquid I added more stock. I use frozen spinach instead of fresh because I've always got that on hand. I definitely add more garlic! And I sautee the veggies first. I also add ground italian sausage if I want a more 'meaty' meal, but even without, this is a very hearty dish!
Great soup! I modified the recipe by substituting the water with Chicken broth. My husband enjoyed this soup and it is healthy too.
Just made this one and added finely chopped leek to the onion, celery and garlic.The soup tastes great and just as some other reviewers suggested, it helps to add some fresh ground pepper along with the Parmesan when serving. Will make again.
I used this as my basic recipe but I also used a leftover smoked ham bone. Instead of spinachy I used escarole - it is much heartier. I gave to this friends that eat and make a lot od soup. They both raved and were so impressed!
I was really happy with the flavor of this soup (substituted fake chicken stock as we're all veggies), but the texture was strange. I couldn't get my handy immersion blender to blend up the bean skin. So I finally had to strain the soup through a colander, which resulted in a wonderful smooth soup. Topped with mozzerella as we were out of parmesan. Crowd pleaser.
We loved this soup. I used veg. broth instead of the chicken, to make it vegetarian.
This is a healthy and simple soup that you can easily modify to suit your taste. I added more spices than it called for, as I think it would be pretty bland as written.
Delicious! Very hearty and filling. I took the advice of the previous reviewers and made the following changes: I added 1 can roasted garlic diced tomatos and 1 tbs. tomato paste, and used all broth instead of the water. I also used the suggestion to add fresh rosemary, which was a wonderful addition. My family loved it and I'm sure I'll be making it again! Thanks for the recipe!
Very good! The only things I changed were, I added more garlic and 1 more can of beans to make a thicker consistancy. Very filling, perfect for a meal.
This soup was great! I used Chicken Broth instead of the water, added chopped Cabbage and added sauteed Ham Cubes. Delicious!!! Love the taste with the lemon!
delicious and easy! I added cooked chicken to make it even MORE hearty. My family said to keep this recipe.
The first time I made this recipe, I served it at a dinner party. My guests could not stop raving about it! For extra flavor, I added sweet chicken/turkey sausage which was also a hit!
I was looking for something different to make for my weekday lunches and this is it! Flavorful, fragrant, filling without making you feel stuffed and/or bloated mid-day. The addition of the lemon gives it just the right amount of tang and the simplicity of the ingredients combines to make one powerful combination of tastes. The only change to the actual recipe I made was I used all chicken broth in place of the water, and I might have added a handful more of spinach.
Even though this soup has gotten nothing but great reviews I thought it was just O.K. It was flavorless. I would not make it again. There are much better recipes out there that are very similar.
My review is for this recipe as written. I would suggest using all broth over the water as the base was a little 'thin' tasting. Otherwise it was quite nice.
Great soup that has a gourmet look and taste to it. I loved it the first time and then the 2nd time added rosemary. That was a BIG mistake! It tastes much better without it and I would suggest a 3rd can of beans.
very tasty!
This soup was great. I made it during a huge snow storm last night, and my fiance and I loved it. I made a few changes, I added more celery, more garlic, and more thyme, then followed the recipe as written. What an excellent way to warm a cold snowy evening. Thanks!
Used most suggestions from other reviewers and used only chicken broth, fresh rosemary, & extra garlic. Everyone in our home loved it - including kids!
Basic's of soup alright, but needed a large amount of modifying to make it a 5 star recipe. We used EVOO instead of vegetable oil,we used more garlic and only a half of a sweet onion. We also used less liquid, using only 2 cans of chicken Broth and no water. I also cut up the spinach and did not use as much as was called for in the recipe. I did not use the Thyme or lemon juice, but used crushed red pepper and rosemary for spices. Also we used two different varieties of white beans, and we did not puree any of the broth and beans, with less liquid it thickened enough for our liking.
One of my favorites & my boyfriend's too. I've made this more times than I can count. Very quick to make; I use an immersion blender to puree the beans. I add at least one more can of beans, sometimes two.
Great Soup. Used broccoli instead of spinach but I'm sure spinach would be good too.
It was a decent soup, a little on the bland side for my tastes. It is incredibly healthy and is good for those that enjoy milder flavored soups.
This came out pretty good, although I think I added a little too much black pepper, even for my taste. (I'm not used to measuring ingredients for soup.) I did add 4 cloves of garlic, and used extra virgin olive oil, which I think was a good idea. will make again.
I love this. Granted, I haven't put the spinach in yet, but I can tell it's going to be wonderful once the flavors meld. As written, I can see where it'd be a little bland ... but everyone's tastes are different and the concept itself is simple and perfect. I did omit the water and used all chicken broth. I also used my own pre-cooked cannelli (sp) beans (yeah - the white kidney ones). Threw in extra garlic and then a chunk of parmesan cheese rind for added depth of flavor. *IF* I had had an open tube of tomato paste, I think I might have thrown a tablespoon of that in as well. But I didn't (shrug). I will next time (grin).
Tasty! I didn't bother doing any of the blender stuff, though - I just left it all whole and simmered together and thought it was yummy. I did make a few changes, but I don't think they were so radical that it ended up being a different recipe, so I'll still rate/comment. I reduced the recipe to 2 servings, added ground chicken, forgot to buy celery so I added celery seed, skipped the water, and simply added enough low sodium veggie broth to cover the other ingredients. It ended up being thick and stew-like, which I liked. I did have to add more seasonings in the end to give it a little more kick flavor-wise, but I tried rosemary (like other reviewers suggested) in one bowl and didn't care for it, so I ended up just adding more pepper as well as some garlic powder. Definitely hearty and healthy, so I found this very satisfying and will most certainly make it again. Thanks, colleenlora!
Yummy! I LOVE having soup -so I am always looking for a new soup recipe. This one will become a regular. I like that it is easy to add on to. I added some ham. Oh, I did make a little mistake, I added about a 1 TBL of thyme, but I still thought that it was great.
It was flawless. A friend stopped by, had a bowl, and begged for the recipe!
Very nice recipe! I already had some chicken stock that I had frozen a d added fresh thyme at the end. Delightful!
I loved this soup with a couple modifications. I used no water and all chicken broth. Also chopped up a pound of cooked hot italian sausage and added it at the end with the spinach. Served with a drizzle of olive oil. Very delicious and will definitely make again!
Very good! I was looking for recipes that included spinach, and came across this one. I took some other reviewers' suggestions - doubled the garlic, added extra thyme and some rosemary. I also used an immersion blender to puree. I may try adding some cooked chicken next time, but this is definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing!
I was excited to make this but the end result was just ok. Needs a lot of additions like more garlic, salt, Rosemary, whatever else sounds good. Otherwise it's very bland. I guess it's a good base recipe!
I made it as written, then added a tiny bit more garlic and olive oil at end. One user suggested that and it is a wonderful great tasting soup. Will make often!
Delicious! My husband loved it. He asked me to make it again and to double the recipe! I might add a few delitini noodles next time. VERY GOOD!Try it.
I gave this 5 stars because it was easy to make and it was good. I added more garlic and I put in 2 cups of broth to 1 cup water. When you puree the remaining soup and beans, this totally makes the soup taste like you've been slaving all day. I substituted fresh rosemary for the thyme and it made a huge difference! This is a keeper!!
This was a good soup. I doubled the garlic and used celery seed in place of cerery because I didn't have any. I also used frozen chopped spinach. I used the immersion blender to semi-puree the soup and it worked very well...and I didn't have to clean the blender! Very healthy and pretty tasty.
What a wonderful soup! I made some accidental and some purposeful changes to the recipe: I didn't add celery because I didn't have any, I used only chicken stock - not plain water, I added leftover chicken just to use it up, I ran out of time to put some of the soup in the blender, and I forgot about the lemon juice. This soup was really so wonderful. I will definitely make it again with celery as called for. I loved it with the chicken, but I also plan to make it without. I doubt I will do the blending step because it was so good the way it was. Thank you for a great soup recipe!
This came together quite quickly and was delicious! Perfect for a cold drizzly evening. I used vegetable broth for all liquid - no water. Two cloves of garlic instead of one. Topped with homemade croutons from a baguette I had around.
I gave this recipe 2 stars because my husband liked it more than I did (I didn't care for it). I found the end result to be salty and too lemony and apart from that, the only flavour was the beans....I won't make this again.
This was very tasty! I did make some slight changes based on other suggestions. I used all chicken broth, substituted parsley for the thyme (don't like thyme), and drizzled my serving with a little olive oil. I would make this again!
I cooked the beans in a pressure cooker rather than using canned. I also used frozen spinach instead of fresh (too time consuming for me). Could have used a little extra thyme and a little salt. But all-in-all, I liked it. My husband thought there was too much spinach.
I thought this was delicious! I followed the advice from some of the reviews to replace the water with more broth and added a little extra beans. I also threw in some italian turkey sausage and used Great Northern beans because my store was out of white kidney beans. I thought it was healthy and delic!
with minor changes to boost the flavor...same ones as previous posters.......used chicken stock instead of water a bay leaf and an extra clove of garlic. I also added chicken to mine just because I had leftover bits from a roasted chicken the night before and this was a good "home" to toss them in!
Left out celeray (not a huge fan), added pancetta and small pasta shells. Did not puree. Was a great hit at our dinner party.
Wonderful with several additions: 1) 5 garlic cloves instead of one. 2.) sprigs of parsley, rosemary, and thyme 3) soup stock instead of water 4) 2 cups cooked rice 5) 1/2 bag of thawed frozen leaf spinach instead of fresh spinach--it's all I had 6) 2 cups cooked soy crumbles meat substitute 7) Omitted the onion because a family member is allergic to onions. This made a hearty stew and a complete meal. Also, I did not puree it. I know these are many changes--I just kept thinking of things to add and it really improved the recipe.
This soup was great. I added more chicken broth instead of water. I can't wait to make it again!!!!!
Loved this recipe! I cooked off some chicken and used the broth instead of canned. I think adding some type of meat is needed or it would be very bland.
A great soup as is or with some alterations. I always add fresh parsley as one reviewer suggested and it really makes a difference. My husband prefers it without the lemon but I think the lemon gives it a nice tang. I add the lemon just before serving. I also add a little milk and next time I might try a mix of chickpeas and white kidney beans. It is not difficult to make and it's healthy and tasty. Try it!
Many reviewers added meat to this to improve it. I was looking for a vegetarian soup and this fit the bill. I simply used veg broth for all of the liquid and, call me crazy but I added some marinated artichoke hearts to the blender just because. It is a super simple recipe that tastes good. Sometimes less IS more! Cheers!
I'm an Italian who loves old school recipes (peasant style similar to this one), but also like to delve into complex recipes. This is one that is a good old school base, but begs for more flavor i.e., more garlic, crushed red pepper, chicken broth (not water), escarole as the green. The celery and onions, along with rosemary, are totally unnecessary. This type of greens and beans is served in many local South Philly restaurants.
hummm hummm min 2 time the lemon juice and put whatever vedgies you whant, like zucchinis and carrots but gratted. 4 or 5 cups of broth and add spices you like.
I doubled the recipe....used olive instead of vegetable and didnt add the 2 cups water. I did add 4 chopped carrots. Loved the lemon in this!
