This Creamy Tuscan Bean Soup with Parmesan and Kale is a delicious one pot wonder that can be made stovetop or in the slow cooker!
We all know how filling a hearty dense bean salad can be in the Spring and Summertime, but the benefits don’t have to stop once Fall and Winter roll around.
Take that magic right into soup mode with a good ole dense bean soup!
This deliciousness skirts the line between a soup and a stew, which is exactly how I like my soups when I want to serve them as a meal during soup season.
I could wax poetic on how much I love this soup for multiple paragraphs but I’m not going to put you through that. We have soup to make! Let’s get cooking!
Ingredients needed
Here’s what you’re going to grab from the pantry: olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, dried thyme, italian seasoning blend, tomato paste, vegetable broth, canned white beans x2, and canned petite diced tomatoes.
For fresh produce we’ll need onion, carrots, celery, tuscan kale, and garlic.
We’ll add a little creaminess to the soup with some heavy cream and a little parmesan cheese and for optional extras you’re welcome to add fresh herbs and some crispy croutons on top if you’d like or just dunk some crusty bread right into the soup. When it comes to this beautiful bean soup – anything goes!
Creamy Tuscan Bean Soup With Parmesan and Kale
This savory soup is vegetarian, gluten-free, freezer friendly, and totally meal prep friendly too. Leftover bowls can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days and you can freeze this soup for up to a month.
I can’t wait for you to try it!
Tuscan Bean Soup With Parmesan and Kale
Ingredients
THE VEGGIES
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4-6 leaves tuscan kale aka Italian lacinato kale
- 2 cans (15.5 oz each) cannellini beans or great northern beans
- 1 can (15 oz) petite diced tomatoes
OTHER SOUP INGREDIENTS
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- ½ tsp salt plus extra to taste
- ¼ tsp pepper plus extra to taste
- 2 TBSP tomato paste
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning blend*
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese** plus extra to taste
TASTY TOPPINGS + EXTRAS (OPTIONAL)
- fresh herbs: basil, rosemary, parsley, etc…
- croutons for topping
Instructions
FIRST PREP THE VEGGIES
- Peel and finely dice the onion. Peel and slice the carrots. Dice celery and combine with carrots and onion.
- Peel, smash, and mince garlic and set aside.
- Wash and dry kale, remove leaf portion from the the center stalk and chop into shreds. Set aside to be added to the soup towards the end.
SAUTE AND SEASON
- Heat 2 TBSP oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute until tender, approx 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds until fragrant, stirring constantly.
- Next add 2 TBSP tomato paste, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, ½ thyme, ½ italian seasoning, and ¼ red pepper flakes cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly.
SIMMER AND SERVE
- Add the broth and scrape up any stuck on bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the entire can of tomatoes, liquid and and all. Drain and rinse the beans and add to the pot.
- Bring the soup back to a rolling boil then reduce to simmer. Cover. and cook for 15 minutes so that the veggies are nice and tender and the flavors have developed.
- For a creamy soup, use an immersion blender to puree ¼-⅓ of the soup. Alternatively you can remove a cup or so of the soup (aiming for a big scoop of beans) and transfer it to your blender to puree before adding back to the pot. For a chunkier stew-like soup skip this step.
- Bring back to a simmer and stir in ½ cup heavy cream. Allow a few minutes to thicken then add the kale, turn off the burner, and cover.
- After 4-5 minutes the kale will be nice and tender. Remove the lid and stir in the parmesan cheese.
- Taste the soup and adjust soup as desired by adding any additional salt and pepper to taste as well as any additional spices/herbs you'd like! Let your taste buds be your guide.
- Divide Into bowls and garnish with your favorites and dig in!
SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS
- Add all ingredients except for kale, heavy cream, parmesan and toppings (croutons and fresh herbs) to your slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or LOW for 7-8 hours, until the vegetables cooked through and tender. Stir in remaining ingredients add your toppings and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker.
Q: Can I make this soup in my slow cooker?
Yeah baby! If you’d like to toss the ingredients in a crock-pot and go about your day, you absolutely can. This cozy soup is super versatile like that! Here are the instructions if you need them:
Slow COOKER inSTRUCTIONS
Add all ingredients except for kale, heavy cream, and toppings (parmesan, croutons, basil) to your slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or LOW for 7-8 hours, until the vegetables cooked through and tender. Stir in remaining ingredients and toppings and enjoy!
Tasty sandwiches to serve with soup!
If you get a chance to try this tuscan bean soup recipe, let me know!
Leave me a comment or review using the form below. I’m always so excited to hear from you, and can’t wait to hear all about your tasty creation!
Behind the Blog
Are you watching the new Vince Gilligan show? I will watch pretty much anything he makes and Pluribus is 110% living up to the hype! I LOVE it and I’m so giddy to see more Rhea Seehorn on the screen because she was absolutely *brilliant* in Better Call Saul. I have to wait for Paul to get home to watch the new episode and I’m in agony.
Bookwise I’m about 75% of the way through The Reformatory and wishing I could skip work and just spend the afternoon this book instead. It’s absolutely gripping in a Shawshank Redemption sort of way and I need to know how it ends!
Are you reading/watching anything amazing? I want to hear all about it!
Questions & Reviews
I just made this soup, and it was wonderful! I did sub. chopped frozen spinach for kale, and 1/2 & 1/2 for cream. This recipe is going in the keep folder, for sure!
Perfect for a cold late March day when winter just doesn’t want to go away.
I just made this soup, and it was wonderful! I did sub. chopped frozen spinach for kale, and 1/2 & 1/2 for cream. This recipe is going in the keep folder, for sure!
Perfect for a cold late March day when winter just doesn’t want to go away.
Whoohoo! Honored to make keep folder status! Thank you Karen 😃
Wow! Such a bold and hearty soup. This was so easy to make and everyone really enjoyed it.
Thank you Dani! 😃 I’m so thrilled you loved the recipe!