This 1-pot Tuscan White Bean Soup is easy to make with pantry staples and has the most comforting Italian-inspired flavors. Serve it with crusty bread for your next family dinner! Naturally vegan and gluten-free.
I love making soup with beans and legumes. They’re packed with fiber and plant protein, making every bowl hearty and filling! If that sounds tasty to you, check out my Italian Chickpea Soup, The Best Lentil Soup, and my Vegan Black Bean Soup next.
This Creamy Tuscan White Bean Soup puts an extra comforting twist on a crowd favorite, my classic White Bean Soup.
I absolutely adore a big pot of something cozy in the fall and winter, and this Tuscan-inspired soup is no exception. Like my other vegan soups and stews, it’s easy to make in one pot using affordable pantry staples, sun-dried tomatoes, and Italian seasonings.
The secret to making this soup creamy without any non-dairy milk or vegan cream is to blend some of the soup with cashews. This smooth and creamy mixture gets stirred right back into the pot, leaving you with a thick, indulgent, and decadent cold-weather meal.
Why you’ll love this white bean soup
- 1-pot comfort food – I can quickly throw this vegan white bean soup together on the stove for a weeknight family dinner.
- Packed with protein – Those white beans aren’t just naturally soft and buttery; they’re also packed with plant protein, making every bowl of soup as filling as it is comforting.
- Creamy without the cream – This soup is rich, indulgent, and creamy, even without the dairy or vegan cream!
How to make Tuscan white bean soup
Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
Start by sautéing the onion in a large pot until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Next, stir in the carrots, celery, potato, beans, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, red chili flakes, sun-dried tomatoes, and vegetable broth. Heat to a boil.
Lower the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the vegetables are fork-tender.
Transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender. Add the cashews, then blend until smooth. Stir the blended cashew-soup mixture back into the pot.
Play with the consistency
If the soup is too thick, stir in an extra splash of broth. If it’s too thin, keep simmering until it reduces slightly or blend another 1/2 cup of the soup mixture.
To finish, stir in the spinach and season with salt and pepper.
Ladle the white bean soup into bowls with fresh chopped parsley, vegan parmesan cheese, and red chili flakes on top. Serve with a crusty loaf of this Dutch Oven Bread for dunking. Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
A couple of vegan Italian sausage links would be great in this soup. Just slice them up, add them to the pot with the spinach, and serve.
You could also add extra vegetables, like diced bell peppers, halved grape or cherry tomatoes, sweet potatoes (instead of yellow/white potatoes), kale, or fresh herbs, like thyme, oregano, or basil.
Another soft white bean will work! Try using an equal amount of Great Northern, navy, or butter beans instead. Chickpeas might work as a substitute, but they’re quite firm and will be a lot more noticeable in the soup.
I’ve only tested this recipe on the stove, but I’m sure it will also work in a slow cooker.
To start, sauté the garlic and onion in a skillet on the stove as normal. Dump them and the vegetables, beans, tomato paste, seasonings, sun-dried tomatoes, and broth into your slow cooker. Cover with a lid and cook on High for 2 to 3 hours or on Low for 4 to 5 hours.
Blend some of the soup with the cashews as normal. Pour the mixture back into the crockpot, stir in the spinach, salt, and pepper, and cook for another 30 minutes before serving.
Sure. You should be fine to replace the cashews with blanched almonds or sunflower seeds. Or, for a nut-free recipe, blend the 2 cups of soup with an equal amount of vegan cream, canned coconut milk, or a thick plant milk, like soy milk or full-fat oat milk. The blended mixture will be thinner, but still very creamy.
Wait for the soup to cool before packing it into airtight containers. It’ll keep for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator.
It sure does. Once it’s cool, transfer any leftover soup to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the soup in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stove or in the microwave when it’s time to eat.
Creamy Tuscan White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 large carrots peeled and sliced into rounds
- 2 ribs celery sliced
- 1 russet potato peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
- 3 15-ounce cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes *see notes either packed in oil and pressed with paper towels or the dried kind in a package
- 6-7 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 4 cups baby spinach roughly chopped
- salt + black pepper to taste
For Serving (optional)
- fresh chopped parsley
- vegan parmesan cheese shredded or shaved
- red chili flakes
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the carrots, celery, potato, beans, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, red chili flakes, sun-dried tomatoes, and 6 cups of vegetable broth. Stir well and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, lower the heat so the soup is gently boiling and cook for 15 minutes, uncovered, until the carrots and potatoes are fork-tender.
- Transfer 2 cups of the soup to a high-powered blender and add the raw cashews. Blend the soup and cashews until creamy and smooth, then transfer the creamy mixture back to the pot and stir it in.
- If the soup seems too thick, add a little more broth. Stir in the baby spinach until it wilts, and add salt and black pepper, to taste.
- Serve with a side of crusty bread, fresh chopped parsley, vegan parmesan cheese, and red chili flakes, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- If your sun-dried tomatoes are packed in oil, press them with paper towels to absorb the some of the oil. Shelf-stable dehydrated sun-dried tomatoes in a package also work for this recipe.
