Homemade Soup Recipes
The best and easiest soup recipes

Homemade Italian White Bean Soup

Cannellini beans are white beans that are popular in parts of Italy. They are used in a variety of dishes from soups to baked beans. This recipe calls for cannellini beans, but you can use any white bean you like; navy, great northern, robust, etc. This homemade bean soup is similar to soups you would find in Tuscany, a region in Central Italy. It could be rightly named Tuscan bean soup.

Homemade Italian White Bean Soup

• 650ml of dried cannellini beans or other white beans (2 3/4 cups)
• 50ml of olive oil (3 tablespoons)
• 2 medium onions for chopping
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 5 small carrots
• 4 stalks of tender celery
• 120 ml of chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned (1/2 cup)
• 60 ml of fresh basil leaves (1/4 cup)
• 60 ml of chopped fresh parsley (1/4 cup)
• 15 ml of salt, preferably coarse (1 tablespoon)
• fresh coarsely ground black pepper (optional)
• olive oil for garnishing (optional)
• freshly grated parmesan cheese for garnishing (optional but highly recommended)

Wash the beans off well removing any duds or stones. Put them in a large soup pot and add about 4 litres of water, then bring it to a boil. Once it starts to boil, remove from the heat and cover. Let it sit and soak for an hour.

While you are waiting for the cannellini beans to soak, peel and chop the onions. Peel and mince the cloves of garlic. Peel the carrots and slice them in half lengthwise then slice them (not too thin). Trim the stalks of celery and chop them (it is best to use the tender inner stalks).

Drain the beans in a colander to free up your soup pot, or get out a clean heavy soup pot and add the 44.37 ml of olive oil. Heat it to medium heat and add the chopped onions and minced garlic.

Give them about a half minute (they should start to sizzle) then add the carrots and celery. Continue to cook for a few minutes (4 or 5) stirring constantly. Add the chopped tomatoes, parsley and basil and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for a few more minutes.

Add some or all of the presoaked white beans (you need about 1 and a half liters – 6 cups) and add 2.7 liters of water (about 10 cups). Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to bring it back down to a simmer. Put the lid on the soup pot so that the pot is only partially covered, allowing a little steam to escape. Continue to simmer until the beans are creamy and soft, between 2 and 3 hours.

Keep your eye on the water and add more as needed, but keep in mind it is supposed to be a thick soup. After an hour or two, add the salt as called for in the ingredients or to taste.

When the homemade Italian white bean soup is done, serve it hot and garnish it with freshly ground coarse black pepper, fresh parmesan cheese or a few drops of olive oil. Like most soups, bean soup goes great with hot crunchy bread.