Tuscan White Bean Soup Garlic (Print Version)

A comforting Tuscan soup featuring cannellini beans, vegetables, herbs, and crisp garlicky bread on the side.

# What You'll Need:

→ Soup Base

01 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 3 garlic cloves, minced

→ Seasonings

06 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
07 - 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
08 - ½ teaspoon dried chili flakes
09 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Main Ingredients

10 - 2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
11 - 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
12 - 4 cups vegetable broth
13 - 2 cups chopped fresh spinach or kale
14 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
15 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

→ Garlic Bread

16 - 1 baguette or Italian loaf, sliced
17 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
18 - 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
19 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
20 - Pinch of salt

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery, sautéing for 6 to 7 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
02 - Add minced garlic, thyme, rosemary, and chili flakes to the vegetables. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in drained cannellini beans and diced tomatoes. Pour in vegetable broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
04 - Add fresh spinach or kale and simmer for an additional 5 minutes until greens are wilted. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
05 - While the soup simmers, preheat your oven broiler to high.
06 - In a small bowl, combine softened butter, minced garlic, chopped parsley, and a pinch of salt until well combined.
07 - Spread the garlic mixture over bread slices, arrange on a baking sheet, and broil for 2 to 3 minutes until golden and fragrant.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve hot with garlic bread alongside.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It's ready in under an hour but tastes like it simmered all afternoon.
  • You probably have most ingredients already, unless you're out of good olive oil.
  • The garlic bread alone makes people think you spent way more time than you actually did.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the canned beans—that starchy liquid will make your soup taste canned and muddy.
  • The soup gets thicker as it sits, so if you're saving leftovers, thin it with more broth when reheating.
  • Oversalting is easy here because the beans and broth already contribute sodium, so taste first before reaching for the salt shaker.
03 -
  • Make the garlic butter the night before and let it come to room temperature just before spreading—it's easier and somehow tastes more developed.
  • If your soup tastes flat at the end, it's usually missing either salt or acid (lemon), not more herbs.
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