Tuscan White Bean Soup

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Hearty Tuscan white bean soup filled with white beans, sausage, kale, and vibrant sun dried tomatoes. A warming and healthy Italian soup.

White bean soup was actually a soup that I enjoyed frequently during the winter months when I was vegan (it didn't have sausage and cheese, of course). Since adding animal products back into my diet, I have liked to take some of my old favorite recipes and add meat to them.

What I like about plant based recipes are that they have a lot of whole food ingredients and fiber, but meat adds more nutrient density. It keeps you full longer too. So it is a fun challenge to transform some of my old recipes.

If you are curious about my vegan story and why I am no longer vegan, I made a whole video about it a couple years ago.

What is Tuscan White Bean Soup Made of?

The primary ingredients in this soup are white beans, kale, Italian sausage, and sun dried tomatoes combined in a nourishing bone broth. I make my own bone broth from scratch (see how here) but you could easily substitute this with store bought bone broth or beef broth.

What is the Difference between Cannellini Beans, Great Northern Beans, and Navy Beans?

First off, you can easily use any of these beans in this recipe, but there are two that are better for soups.

• Cannellini Beans: Cannellini beans are known as white kidney beans. These beans are larger and have a heartier and meatier texture. Cannellini beans are a good choice for soups.
• Great Northern Beans: Great northern beans are smaller and firmer than cannellini beans. They are also a great soup bean.
• Navy Beans: Navy beans are the smaller than cannellini and great northern beans. The skin on navy beans does not hold up as well in soups, so I would not recommend them for this recipe.

What is the Thickener in White Bean Soup?

In this Tuscan white bean soup, I use the beans themselves to thicken the soup. Some of the beans and broth are set aside and then blended until creamy. Add the blended beans to the soup to make it heartier and thicker.

Ingredients

1 lb Italian sausage chopped

2 carrots chopped

2 celery chopped

5 cups white beans cooked

6 cups bone broth

6 cloves garlic minced

2 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried sage

1 tsp paprika

salt and pepper to taste

3 cups Italian or curly kale chopped

½ cup sun dried tomatoes chopped

For Serving

parmesan cheese shredded

red pepper flakes

How to Make Tuscan White Bean Soup

In a medium pot over medium-high heat, cook the sausage until fully browned (about 10 minutes).

Next add in the carrots and celery and sauté them for 5 minutes.

Then add in 5 cups of the bone broth and 3 cups of the beans.

Take the remaining 1 cup of broth and 2 cups of beans and blend them in the blender until smooth and creamy. Add the blended beans to the pot.

Add the garlic, herbs, spices, salt, pepper to the pot. Stir and let this simmer for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, add in the chopped kale and sun dried tomatoes. Stir and let the pot simmer for another 5 minutes or until the kale has wilted.

Serve the soup into bowls and let them cool slightly before serving. Serve the soup with parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes, if desired.

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