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This is not an average bean soup, this is an awesome Italian white bean soup with big bold flavor. Everyone loves it!
I cook it the way my mum used to, loaded with chili, parsley, and garlic, a burst of flavor that really warms me up.
This hearty and comforting meal is ready in no time, so good and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and parsley. Italians can’t live without a good extra virgin olive oil, really, nothing can beat it when it comes to flavors and dressing.
Cooking a warming soup like this is a no brainer, it takes just a few basic ingredients like cannellini beans, garlic and olive oil, some of the cheapest cupboard staples.
What ingredients you need
- Cannellini beans or other white beans
- Potatoes
- Garlic
- Onion
- Italian parsley
- Chili flakes
- Extra virgin olive oil and salt
- Vegetable broth
How to make an Italian bean soup?
How to make an Italian bean soup?- Saute’ chopped garlic, onion and chili flakes in olive oil
- Add diced potato and white beans
- Add vegetable broth, salt, and simmer for about 20 minutes
- Serve with parsley and extra virgin olive oil dressing, and add more chili flakes if you like. Enjoy!
RECIPE NOTES & QUESTIONS
This white bean soup is packed with protein and comes together in only 25 MINUTES.
Bonus? It’s super affordable and one portion costs less than $1.
It’s loaded with flavor, healthy, vegan, gluten-free, and cheap… what not to love about this soup?
ARE WHITE BEANS GOOD FOR YOU?
YES. This soup is packed with cannellini beans, low on calories, but loaded with protein, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. Cannellini beans are highly filling, making them a very weight loss-friendly food.
IS EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL HEALTHY?
YES. Extra virgin olive oil is a rich source of antioxidants, monounsaturated fats, and offer a long list of benefits to your overall health. So the answer is yes, extra virgin olive oil tastes great and is healthy too.
WHITE BEANS
You can use cannellini beans, navy beans, Great Northern beans or any white beans. However, for more flavor and texture, dried cannellini beans are the better choice here. They taste better and they are cheaper than canned beans. However, if you are in a hurry, go for canned beans, they wok just fine and the preparation is minimal.
FLAVOR
Fresh garlic, fresh and aromatic Italian parsley, chilly flakes, and robust extra virgin olive oil make this mushy cannellini soup really amazing. Don’t use dry stuff, they won’t work.
You want to load this hearty meal with big flavors, don’t settle for less!
TEXTURE
Do you like creamy soups? I do, I love that thick and yummy texture, for this reason, I often add a cubed potato. During cooking, the cells of the potato break down releasing starch, and if you slightly mash the soft potato cubes with a wooden spoon occasionally, that makes the soup even thicker. Yum.
WHITE BEAN SOUP VARIATIONS?
I kept things simple in this recipe, but you actually can add plenty of vegetables, they will make the soup hearty and more nourishing. For example, you can simply add a “soffritto” (diced onion, carrot, and celery) which brings more texture and flavor. If you prefer, you can add diced tomatoes or more greens like spinach and kale, they all are good options.
LEFTOVER WHITE BEAN SOUP?
This Italian white bean soup keeps well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 3-4 days. It’s also freezable: divide among airtight containers (leaving 1-inch space at the top), and freeze up to 2 months.
MORE CANNELLINI BEAN RECIPES?
If you like this Italian white bean soup, then you will love these recipes:
- The best white bean soup, creamy and delicious.
- Cannellini bean salad tossed in a lemon garlic dressing.
- Smoked beans on toast, the perfect crunchy bruschetta.
- 15 Cannellini bean recipes, incredible soups, salads, dips.
You really have to try it, I’m sure you will love it as much as I do!
f you make this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram. I would love to hear from you!
ITALIAN WHITE BEAN SOUP
Ingredients
- 2 cans (14oz/400grams each) cannellini or other white beans
- 1 large potato, diced
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 handful Italian flat parsley, chopped
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp chilli flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt, or according to taste
Instructions
- Rinse your beans under runny water and drain, you want to remove the cloudy water.
- In a large pot heat gently 1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and add 1 chopped garlic clove (keep the other one for the dressing), onion, chilli and cook for about 3 minutes or until the onion starts to soften.
- Add cannellini beans, the diced potato and stir well for another minute.
- Add the vegetable broth (or hot water) and salt and bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When the diced potato is soft, remove the pot from the heat, check the seasoning and the consistency (you might like a thicker or a thinner soup, so you can add or reduce the amount of liquid). Set aside.
- Make the dressing: blend the parsley leaves with the rest of the garlic and 1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (2 Tbsp if you like more dressing). Alternatively, you can chop parsley and garlic and then blend all together with the rest of the olive oil. You want to make a flavorsome dressing for your soup.
- Serve drizzled with the parsley dressing and some chilli flakes.
Jane
My soup is simmering now and I am sure it will hit the spot when ready. I had everything on hand except the pepper flakes so I used a few shots of Tabasco sauce instead. I have a can of petite diced tomatoes on hand in case I want to add them for a bit more flavor and punch. I also had only one can of beans but it is just me so that is okay. I love my garlic and olive oil though!
Jane
The soup is finished and I left out the tomatoes and had a cup as it was, with the garlic/parsley dressing on top. I thought it was very good. I used a “Better than Boullioun” veggie broth base with two cups of water for a brother soup. I also always add more garlic than a recipe calls for, maybe that is why I am the only person in my family with a strong heart. It was very satisfying and a keeper in my book, thanks.
Katia
Awesome! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your feedback, Jane.. It’s so much appreciated. xx
Suzi Q
Delicious! Next time I will add more liquid. I added shredded carrot and baby spinach and doubled the amount of red pepper in the pot. Also added pepper. Super flavorful! Very filling !
Katia
Great! Thanks so much for sharing, Suzi. I’m so glad it turned out delicious : )
Lisa Dee
Loved it! Just had a bowl. Added a dash of white wine, chicken, and spinach. Will be making this again!
Katia
Great, so pleaded to hear you loved it!
Thanks so much for sharing, Lisa. xx
Nancy
Really good. I added a bit of white wine and used kale instead of parsley.
Katia
I’m so glad, Nancy… and I love the kale and the touch of white wine. : )
Lori
This soup is excellent! It has amazing flavour and is creamy. Total win.
Katia
Thank you so much, Lori! I’m so happy to read your feedback : )
Cheers x
Hugh
Made this tonight. I agree with the earlier comment that 1.5 cups of broth is odd. It wasn’t enough to even cover the beans and potatoes. I added a little more to just barely cover so that the potatoes would cook. It ended up rather bland – maybe it would have worked better with only 1 can of beans? I tried to salvage it by using an immersion blender to make it like a chowder. I added a handful of frozen corn and a bit of diced fresh jalapeño. Overall it was a miss for me personally, but I appreciate you sharing!
Katia
I love this soup and I’m surprised to hear that, Hugh.
But a recipe can’t please everyone, I understand that. Thanks for your feedback!
Kim
I made this soup tonight. Great flavors and so easy! I used sweet potatoes and also deglazed the onions/garlic with whiskey (in the absence of white wine) for more flavor. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Katia
I’m so pleased to hear that, Kim! Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback : )
Kaye
Loved your comment. I usually buy wine for immediate consumption and rarely keep any around. A bottle of whiskey lasts forever tho❤️👁. I’ll try that with this wonderful recipe!🧑🏿🍳
Katia
Love the idea, I hope you’ll love it too!
Thank you. : )
Kim Barnett
I am making this as I write. Smells great. I did up the garlic a good amount as I love it so. I am adding fresh pea shoots in lieu of spinach. Using homemade veggie stock. It smells fab. Thank you.
Katia
Thank you for your feedback, Kim… I’m very pleased to hear that : )
Cheers x
Elizabeth
Wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing!
Katia
You’re so welcome, Elizabeth! 💛
Kiki
1 1/2 cups veggie broth? Thats only 12 ounces of liquid. 2 cans of beans is like 32 ounces. Recipe sounds delicious but I cant figure out how that would be enough liquid to make a soup.
Katia
Hi Kiki, the consistency of this soup is thick, more like a stew, but you can adjust easily the amount of liquid during the cooking time. Add a touch of broth or water if you prefer a thinner soup, you can reach the right texture according to your liking. I hope you give it a go, it tastes delicious! : )
Charles Franks
Made this awesome bean soup. Nice light flavor. When ready to serve I drizzle some California EVOO over the serving. Gave a nice buttery olive oil addition.. Sweet
Really loved it and so did my wife who not to hip on bean soups.
Thanks a million
Katia
You’re so welcome, Charles! I’m so glad it turned out awesome, thanks for sharing your feedback x
Beach Bob
This was fantastic. I’m not one to follow recipes but I did with this one. I added some frozen spinach but wish I added the whole 10 oz package. Added fresh
Grated Romano and some good evoo and we loved it. A lot of GREAT recipes on this site. Ty
Katia
That’s brilliant, thanks a million for sharing your feedback 😊 I’m so glad it turned out delicious! xx
Sally
Made this as exactly as written. Added spinach at the end as suggested. Absolutely delicious. Will definitely be making this lovely, hearty soup a lot. Thank you for this great recipe.
Katia
You’re so welcome, Sally! I’m so glad you loved it 💛
Christine
Hi- I loved this recipe! Do you happen to know the nutritional information? Thank you!
Christine
Katia
Thanks so much for your comment, Christine! I’ve just added the nutritional values 🙂