A Deliciously Tasty White Bean Soup Recipe
Hearty and flavorful, one of the best tastes of authentic Italian comes from a deliciously tasty white bean soup recipe. This soup is great to make in large batches because it freezes well and can feed large groups simultaneously. Below is a recipe that your family will enjoy and become one of your regular dinner menu items.
Why White Bean Soup?
Not only does this soup store well, but it is an affordable option, which is great for those large families who need to stretch the bowl and budget. A handful of ingredients are also needed, and it is relatively easy to make.
This soup has roots in Italy, as it started as one of the best ways to stay warm when the winters got chilly. Beans have a natural ability to last longer, especially when they are dried, so this soup would keep a family fed for the season.
Today, white bean soup is one of the appetizer delicacies you can enjoy at Italian restaurants with a Tuscany flare. It is also a soup you can make, adding different flavors to match your preferred palette.
Gathering Your Ingredients
If you have a taste for white bean soup, head to your local market and grab some of these larger ingredients. You most likely have some of the other seasoning ingredients in your pantry.
- Three cans of great northern beans or one bag of dried great northern beans
- Six slices of bacon, chopped
- Two tablespoons of olive oil
- One diced onion
- Two stalks of celery, chopped
- Four cups of veggie or chicken broth
- One teaspoon of dried rosemary
- One teaspoon of dried oregano
- One teaspoon of Italian seasonings
- One tablespoon of minced garlic
- Two bay leaves
- Tablespoon of white wine
- Three cups of kale or baby spinach
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Some of these ingredients can be substituted if you have different options available at home or dietary preferences.
Substitutions
If you want to sub out a different type of pork for flavoring instead of bacon, strips of pork belly and prosciutto are great substitutes. They have much more salt, so keep that in mind when you season the soup later.
If you want to keep the soup vegetarian or even vegan, you can opt out of adding meat to the soup to flavor it. If you plan to use meat, though, and serve to guests who do not normally dine with you, you should disclose this information.
Adding greens to this soup gives it another flavor and texture to enjoy. If you like other leafy greens outside of kale or spinach, you can use those, also. You can also mix your greens. If you have just a handful of each leftover and want to use them, you can mix them for a full flavor.
If you are concerned about the amount of salt, you can opt for water instead of broth and add chicken bullion to the soup to keep the salt content down. Some markets have low-sodium or no-sodium options that will also work.
Another important substitution is the beans themselves. If you cannot access great northern beans for this recipe, Canelli beans, and white kidney beans are great substitutes. You can get them canned or dried; they have the same texture as the great northern bean. They also pair well with the pork and can handle the taste of the greens blended in the soup.
Start Preparing Your Soup
Now that you have gathered your ingredients, it is time to start building your soup. The cook time should be less than an hour, and you should be able to make this relatively quick.
Hydrate Your Beans
This step is only for those who used dry beans in this recipe. If you did, put your beans in some water, cover and let them sit out overnight to absorb the water and be ready to cook the next day.
1. Prepare Your Veggies
Make sure your greens are ready to use in your soup. Give them all a good wash, and let the dicing begin. Start with dicing your onion and then chopping your celery stalks. You can give your greens a rough chop if you have larger leaves. However, if you have baby leaves, a good cleaning is all they need.
2. Dice Up Your Meat
If you decide to use meat in your white bean soup, go ahead and dice up the bacon, ham pieces, or whatever pork you went with so that you can start the cooking process.
3. Start Cooking
In a large soup pot, turn your burner on to medium heat and add the olive oil. Once it warms up, add in your bacon slices and let it get crispy for a few minutes.
4. Veggie Time
Once the bacon has started cooking down, it is time to add in the veggies; toss in the garlic first to get fragrant, and then the onion. Give it a stir with the bacon, and then add in your celery. Leave out the greens in this step because they cook pretty quickly.
5. Beans and Broth
After six minutes of these veggies cooking to tender, you can add your beans and broth to the soup. This is also where you must add your dried herbs and white wine to the soup. Let these ingredients boil by turning up your burner to medium-high heat. This will take about seven minutes to get to the desired temperature.
6. Greens and Simmer
Once the soup is boiling, add your greens and two bay leaves and turn the burner down to a simmer. Close the lid and let your soup cook for 25 to 30 minutes.
7. Serve and Store
Once your soup is ready, remove the bay leaves from the pot and toss in the recycling. Mix up your soup and serve it in bowls for diners to enjoy. Turn the burner off, so the soup can cool down.
If you have any leftovers of this soup, you can either store it in the fridge for the next four days or quickly freeze it and enjoy some time in the next three months. Make sure you use airtight containers and freezer-safe bags when storing the soup.
Make This Soup Your Own
If you want additional toppings for this white bean soup, offer your diners some additional bacon bits, shredded cheese, or croutons to balance the flavors and add texture to the soup. Your guests may want a spicier soup option, so adding a little hot sauce or chili flakes at the end can kick them they desperately seek in this soup. Should all your diners enjoy cheese, add some shredded Parmesan and two cups of heavy whipping cream to the broth and make a creamier version of this soup.
