Tuscan White Bean Soup
Tuscan white bean soup simmered with a Parmesan rind and finished with broccoli rabe and lemon. An easy, budget-friendly soup for chilly weeknights.
Servings 10 servings
Equipment
- 8-quart soup pot or stockpot
- Colander
- Slotted Spoon
- Juicer
- Box grater or rotary cheese grater
- Ladle
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups yellow onion diced small
- 1 cup celery diced small
- 1 cup red bell pepper diced small
- 1 tbsp kosher salt plus 1 tsp
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 8 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 pounds dried white beans cannellini, baby lima, or great Northern, rinsed, picked over, soaked overnight, and drained
- 1 piece parmesan cheese rind about 1 × 3 inches, optional
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups water
- 1 ½ lbs broccoli rabe tough stem ends trimmed, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 whole lemon zested
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Toppings
- 6 oz Parmesan cheese finely grated (about 1 ½ cups)
- olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
Soak Dried Beans
- Add the dried white beans to a large bowl and cover with cold water, 1-2 inches above the beans. Pick through beans and discard any that are damaged or any debris. Soak 4-24 hours, overnight is best. Drain and rinse.
Soup Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in an 8-quart soup pot or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the black pepper and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, dried Italian herbs, and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, white beans, Parmesan rind, bay leaf, and water and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat to simmer gently and cook, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, 45 to 60 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer about 1 cup of the beans from the pot to a small bowl and mash them with the back of a spoon. Return the mashed beans to the soup and add the remaining 1 tablespoon salt.
- Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and continue to cook, uncovered, until the broth thickens slightly, about 15 minutes. Add the remaining black pepper, broccoli rabe, and rosemary sprig and continue to cook until the broccoli rabe is just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Remove the Parmesan rind, bay leaf, and rosemary sprig and discard them.
- Serve the soup in wide, shallow bowls, garnished with grated Parmesan and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Notes
*Key tip: Mash 1 cup of the cooked beans and stir them back in. This is what gives the broth its creamy body.
**Ingredient note: Use a frozen Parmesan rind straight from the freezer. A good dried Italian herb blend (I reach for Spiceology) adds the most flavor when it’s bloomed in the oil with the garlic.
***Substitution: Kale or baby spinach can stand in for the broccoli rabe. Vegetable broth makes it vegetarian. See the post for more swaps.
****Storage: Keeps up to 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Reheat on the stovetop with a splash of stock, since the beans soak up the broth.
Nutrition
Calories: 499kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 1298mg | Potassium: 2096mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2455IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 521mg | Iron: 12mg
