Italian Bean Soup with Pasta
A white bean soup recipe with everything you crave in homemade soup — vegetables, pasta and a thick, creamy texture. This homey, comforting soup is made with pantry ingredients and it's ready to enjoy in about 30 minutes.
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or soup pot
Ingredients
- 3 14-ounce cans cannellini beans or other white beans such as navy or Great Northern
- Chicken broth vegetable broth or water as needed
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped or grated
- ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper
- 1 14-ounce can whole or chopped tomatoes
- 1 whole bay leaf
- Kosher salt
- 1 cup dried short pasta
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
- ¼ cup chopped parsley basil or rosemary (or a mixture)
Instructions
- Drain 2 cans of beans into a strainer set over a bowl or large measuring cup. Add enough broth or water to the liquid to measure a total of 3 cups. This is the liquid base of the soup.
- In a food processor, pulse the remaining can of beans (1 ½ cups) along with the can liquid until almost smooth. Alternatively, mash the beans in a bowl with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Set aside until the soup is cooked.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and red pepper. Cook until the onion is softened, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
- Add the whole beans, broth or water mixture, tomatoes, bay leaf and 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Bring to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on the heat to make sure the soup doesn't boil.
- While the soup simmers, cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.
- Stir the pasta, reserved bean puree, cheese and herbs into the soup until combined. Adjust the thickness of the soup by adding more broth, if you like. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper to taste. Serve the soup in bowls, with additional cheese to taste.
Video
Notes
- Rather than draining and discarding the liquid from canned beans, save it and use as a base for the soup. If you're starting with homemade cooked beans, use 4-5 cups beans and 3 cups total of broth or water.
- Add more vegetables: Stir in torn spinach or kale leaves until they wilt into the soup. If you'd like to add diced carrot or celery, cook them along with the onions in step 3.
- This soup makes about six generous servings and keeps up to 5 days in the fridge. To freeze the soup for longer storage, cool it completely, then transfer to storage containers with secure lids.
Nutrition
Calories: 130kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 3gFat: 9gSodium: 104mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1g
