White Bean Soup Recipe

white bean chowder soup recipe featured image

With a variety of vegetables, a little bacon, pantry-staple seasonings, and cannellini beans, this Italian-inspired creamy white bean soup recipe is as delicious as it is nutritious. And it's also easy to make gluten-free and/or vegan!

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword Creamy White Bean Soup, White Bean Bisque, White Bean Chowder, White Bean Soup, White Bean Soup Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 316kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 slices turkey bacon minced (or any kind of bacon you like; see Notes)
1 medium onion finely diced
1 medium stalk celery finely diced
1 medium carrot finely diced
1/4 of a medium-large red bell pepper finely diced
3 large cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons fresh minced thyme leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock if you prefer)
1 small tomato finely diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
15 ounce can of cannellini beans rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Crisp the bacon. Heat the oil in a 3-quart pot over medium-high heat; add the turkey bacon and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Sauté the vegetables. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and bell pepper and cook until starting to soften, about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the aromatics and the flour. Turn the heat down to medium, stir in the garlic and thyme, and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, stirring constantly.
Simmer. Add the stock, tomato, tomato paste, bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper, and beans, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down slightly and simmer 15 minutes uncovered. (TIP: When it's done simmering, you can mash a few of the beans against the side of the pot if you want a thicker soup.)
Finishing touches. Turn the heat off and stir in the cream and parsley.
Serve. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as desired; serve.

Video

Notes

Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes about 5 1/2 cups of soup; there are 4 servings and each serving is about 1 1/3 cups.
Turkey Bacon Substitute: Instead of turkey bacon, you can use any type of bacon you like. Beef bacon is my personal favorite. If you use pork bacon or beef bacon, omit the olive oil.
Cannellini Beans Substitute: If you don't have cannellini beans, you can use one 15-ounce can of any type of white beans (rinsed and drained).
Vegan Version: Omit the turkey bacon and add 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika to give it a smoky complexity, and use canned full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream.
Gluten Free Version: Omit the flour and make sure the vegetable stock you use is gluten free. Mash about 1/2 cup of the beans into the soup to give it a creamy texture.
Storage: Cool to room temperature, and then store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Meal Prep: This recipe is a good one to meal prep. Whip up a double batch on the weekend and have it for dinner, and then save the leftovers for weekday lunches (or freeze for later!).
Freezer-Friendly: Portion this soup out into individual freezer-safe containers and freeze. This way, you can thaw as many servings as you need for a quick meal.

Nutrition