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Tuscan Bean Soup

Tuscan White Bean Soup

lynn
This Tuscan White Bean Soup can be made in the Slow Cooker or on the Stove Top. The results are equally delicious; it’s just up to you what would make your day easier!
4.50 from 6 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Course Soups, Stocks, Broths + Chili
Cuisine Italian
Servings 5 servings
Calories 764 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound dried Cannellini beans can also use Navy Beans or Great Northern Beans...see Note 1
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 4 ounces bacon or pancetta diced
  • 2 onions diced
  • 2 large carrots chopped
  • 2 celery stalks chopped
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • Parmesan Rind approximately 1 ounce (optional)
  • 8 cups chicken stock or broth sub vegetable broth for vegetarian option
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 bunch of kale or spinach optional

Instructions
 

In the Slow Cooker

  • Rinse and sort through your beans
  • If you are using Cannellini Beans, which are also known as White Kidney Beans, boil your beans for at least 10 to 30 minutes. See Note 1. The beans can boil while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
  • Heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the pancetta or bacon. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes until bacon is lightly browned.
  • Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook over medium-low for 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally.
  • Transfer the cooked bacon, onions, carrots, celery, and garlic to the slow cooker.
  • Add the beans, tomato paste, parmesan rind, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and broth or stock.
  • Set the crockpot or slow cooker to low and cook for seven to nine hours or high for four to five hours. (See Note 2)
  • Stir in kale and rosemary. Add water or more broth to thin the soup.
  • This soup will stay in your warm setting for one to two hours.

On the Stovetop

  • Rinse and sort through your beans
  • In a large pot or Dutch Oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the pancetta or bacon. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes until bacon is lightly browned.
  • Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook over medium-low for 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally.
  • Add the beans, tomato paste, parmesan rind, bay leaves, salt, pepper, broth, or stock, and bring to a boil.
  • Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot. Test the beans to determine doneness.
  • Once done, remove from heat, remove bay leaf and stir in kale and rosemary.
  • Cover the pot and let sit for 15 minutes. Add water or more broth to thin the soup.

Notes

    1. Red Kidney beans contain a large amount of “phytohaemagglutinin,” also called PHA, or kidney bean lectin. While Cannellini Beans (White Kidney Beans) contain about 1/3 of the amount of PHA as red kidney beans, it is out of an abundance of caution that we also boil the beans for 30 minutes before cooking them in a slow cooker. Per Ohio State Chow Line. "Research indicates that the toxin is destroyed when boiled at 212 degrees F for 10 minutes, but scientists recommend 30 minutes to be certain the beans reach the proper temperature for the amount of time necessary. "
    2. All crockpots heat differently, and the age of your beans also influences cook times. This is a general rule. Beans are done when beans are done. There is not exact time frame; as beans age, they dry out and take longer to cook. Test your beans at the low end of the time frame to check their doneness. This soup will hold at your warm setting for one to two hours.
    I’ve referred to the Tamar Adler book, An Everlasting Meal, before. It’s one of those books I like to re-read from time to time for inspiration. Here’s her guidance on testing the doneness of beans:
    "Beans are done when they are velvety to their absolute middles.  You should feel, as soon as you taste one, as though you want to eat another.  The whole pot is only ready when five beans meet that description.  If one doesn’t, let the beans keep cooking."Tamar Adler
    "

Nutrition

Serving: 11ouncesCalories: 764kcalCarbohydrates: 82gProtein: 45gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 1605mgFiber: 17gSugar: 13g
Keyword beans, soup
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