Creamy Tuscan White Bean Soup (Printable View)

Rich and velvety white bean soup with pancetta, sun-dried tomatoes, and Italian herbs.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 3.5 ounces pancetta, diced

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
04 - 2 celery stalks, finely diced
05 - 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
06 - 2.6 ounces sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
07 - Two 14-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
08 - 1 bay leaf

→ Liquids

09 - 27 fluid ounces low-sodium chicken broth
10 - 4 fluid ounces heavy cream

→ Seasonings

11 - 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs or a mix of oregano, basil, and thyme
12 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
13 - Salt, to taste
14 - Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

→ Garnishes

15 - 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional
16 - Fresh basil or parsley leaves, chopped, optional
17 - Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

# How to Make It:

01 - In a large soup pot over medium heat, cook the diced pancetta until golden and crispy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
02 - In the rendered pancetta fat, sauté onion, celery, and carrot until softened, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 additional minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and Italian herbs, cooking for another minute to release their aromatic oils.
04 - Add cannellini beans, chicken broth, and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
05 - Remove the bay leaf. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth, or leave it slightly chunky according to preference.
06 - Stir in heavy cream and half of the reserved pancetta. Simmer for 5 minutes more. Season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls. Top with remaining pancetta, a drizzle of olive oil, grated Parmesan, and fresh herbs if desired. Serve hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour, which means you can make this on a Tuesday night without losing your mind.
  • The pancetta crisps up and does all the heavy lifting flavor-wise, so the soup feels indulgent without requiring hours of babysitting.
  • One immersion blender move transforms it into something silky and luxurious that tastes way more complicated than it actually is.
02 -
  • If you blend too aggressively, you'll end up with soup that's almost entirely smooth; pulse gently or blend for shorter bursts if you want some texture remaining.
  • Add the cream slowly and at the end—if your soup is boiling when the cream goes in, it can break and look curdled, which won't affect the taste but will affect how beautiful it looks in the bowl.
03 -
  • Don't rush the pancetta rendering—low and slow gives you maximum crispiness and flavor extraction, which means maximum flavor throughout the whole pot.
  • If your pancetta is particularly fatty, you can drain off some of the rendered fat before adding vegetables, keeping about 2 tablespoons for cooking; this gives you control over the final richness.
Return