White Bean Cream Soup with Bacon (Tuscan-Style)

tuscanwhitebeansoup This hearty Tuscan White Bean Soup recipe is bursting with flavour and loaded with fresh vegetables, beans and bacon. It’s all made entirely in just one pot and ready in 30 minutes or less. Plus, it’s freezer friendly too. It’s a creamy, hearty and comforting bean soup recipe that is time and nutrition-friendly.

10 strips bacon, diced
1½ cup shallots, peeled and diced small (~ 2 large)
¾ cup carrot, peeled and diced small (~ 3 medium)
¾ cup celery, diced small (~ 3 medium)
4 small cloves garlic, peeled and minced
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
¾ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
½ cup white wine or chicken broth
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 (14.5 oz) cans cannellini beans or great Northern beans, undrained
2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 2 tsp. dried
1 bay leaf
1 Parmesan cheese rind
¼-½ cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley leaves, chopped
½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, freshly grated

To Serve:
freshly chopped Parsley leaves
freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Cook the Bacon:
Place a large stock pot over medium heat and add bacon. Cook until bacon is crisp and cooked through. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate, leaving bacon drippings in pan. Set aside.

Remove bacon - leave fat: You want about 1 Tbsp. of bacon drippings in the pot, if you do not have enough fat, add extra-virgin olive oil to pan until you have about 1 Tbsp. of liquid (just eyeball this).

Sauté the Vegetables:
Increase heat to medium high. Add shallots, carrot, and celery to pot. Cook, stirring frequently until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper; cook until aromatic, 30 seconds - 1 minute.

Add white wine to deglaze pan, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until wine is reduced to 2 Tbsp., about 3-4 minutes.

Add liquid, beans and herbs: Add the chicken stock, beans with their liquid, rosemary sprigs, bay leaf and Parmesan rind (if using).

Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes.

Use tongs to remove the rosemary sprigs and bay leaf. (I leave in the Parmesan rind, but you can remove and discard it.) Add in the bacon, ¼ cup of cream, chopped parsley leaves and grated Parmesan. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Taste the soup, add more cream for a richer taste and texture.

Optional To Thicken Soup:
You can serve the soup as is for a brothy consistency, or you can thicken the soup with one of the two methods below. For an ultra creamy, bisque-like texture, purée the entire soup.

Use an Immersion blender to blend some of the soup until desired consistency is reached. Or, use a potato masher to mash some of the beans. Blend about 1-2 cups of the soup for a slightly creamy yet rustic texture.

Stand Mixer:
Remove 1-2 cups of the soup to a stand mixer. Purée the soup and then add the mixture back to the pot, add back in removed beans.

To Serve:
Ladle soup into serving bowls. Garnish with more grated Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs. Drizzle with a bit of good-quality extra-virgin olive oil for a flavourful finish. Serve and enjoy.

Cook's Notes:

Garlic: If you have an aversion to garlic, you might want to cut the amount of garlic in half, or adjust the amount to your liking.
Beans: DO NOT drain the beans. The liquid contains starch and helps thicken the soup. However, the liquid does contain sodium, so keep that in mind when adding salt to the soup or purchase beans that are salt free.