How do you thicken Tuscan bean soup?

Rather than putting both cans of whole beans into the soup, I mash a half-cup of beans. You can do this with a fork. Then those mashed beans thicken the broth as it simmers.

What are the different types of white beans?

Cannellini beans, also known as white kidney beans, are larger with a creamy and smooth interior. Great northern beans are medium sized and are firmer than cannellini beans. Navy beans are smaller and they also have a creamy texture on the inside.

Tuscan White Bean Soup - Last Ingredient

Description

This Tuscan white bean soup is a blend of vegetables, beans, greens and fresh rosemary. It is a filling vegetarian soup that’s topped with toasted bread.

Ingredients

Scale

3–4 slices country bread, torn into pieces (about 3 cups)
1–1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 white onion, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
3 carrots, trimmed, peeled & roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2–15 ounce cans cannellini beans or great northern beans, rinsed and drained (Mash 1/2 cup beans with a fork and leave the rest whole)
1–15 ounce can diced tomatoes
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 Parmesan rind, optional
3 cups roughly chopped lacinato kale, ribs removed
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Shaved Parmesan for serving

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Toss the bread, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper on a sheet pan and spread into a single layer. Bake for 12-15 minutes until toasted and golden brown.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté the onions, celery and carrots until they start to soften, about 4 minutes.
Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Add the whole beans, mashed beans, tomatoes, vegetable broth, rosemary sprigs and Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the soup thickens.
Stir in the kale, letting it wilt, about 3-4 minutes.
Remove the rosemary sprigs and Parmesan rind before dividing the soup into bowls and topping with toasted bread, parsley and shaved Parmesan.

Notes

Fresh rosemary is best, but you can substitute with 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary.

You can use swiss chard instead of kale.

If you want the soup to be gluten-free, omit the bread or make-sure it is gluten-free.

To make the soup vegan, do not use the Parmesan rind and garnish the soup with nutritional yeast rather than Parmesan cheese.

Store soup in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 3 days. Keep the croutons in another container at room temperature, so they stay crunchy.

You can freeze extra soup up to 1 month. Do not freeze the soup with croutons or they will be mushy. Toast more bread in the oven when you are planning to serve it again.

Keywords: tuscan white bean soup, ribollita