This is a bean soup with a thick, creamy tomato broth that’s soothing, nourishing and extremely economical. It’s incredibly simple to make, yet full of savoury flavour. Use canned beans for a 20 minute meal, or dried beans if you’ve got the time.
Make this with any type of white beans – cannellini, navy, great northern, butter beans, lima. Coloured beans will also work perfectly though the colour of the broth will be different!
Creamy Tomato Bean Soup
This is the part where I do what every food blogger does – the “big sell” to convince you that this the best bean soup recipe in the world and how you absolutely must try it right now!
It will be littered with lots of exclamation marks – because I am an excessive user of exclamation marks, to the point that I have been told off by a reader who wrote in to say that it’s unprofessional to use so many, just one per sentence is sufficient, and in any case, I’m much too old to be writing like that.
(To which I replied “Dear X, I’m so sorry to hear that the way I write offends you!!!!! I’m just a naturally enthusiastic person and I just can’t help it!!!! Sincerely, Nagi!!!)
😂
But actually, today, I’m not going to do the big sell. I’m just going to quite simply say this to you:
This soup is a very easy way to turn boring canned beans into an extremely delicious meal.
(And yes, you absolutely must try it right now!😉)
What goes in this bean soup
Here’s what you need:
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Canned or dried white beans – any type. More on this below!
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Wine and cream recommended / you’ll thank me for it – but still scrumptious without (as I have done numerous times in recent weeks);
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Parmesan provides umami here, the fancy word for “savoury flavour”;
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Italian herbs – sub with dried basil, parsley, oregano, thyme or any combination thereof;
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Tomato paste – quite a bit of it! Because we’re not using canned tomato here, this is what gives the tomato flavour and helps thicken the soup;
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Carrot (optional), onion and garlic – an essential flavour base for an otherwise simple soup broth. The trick here is to sauté them for 5 minutes until sweet, then they get blitzed up with the liquid. Blitzing releases flavour!
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Baby spinach – completely interchangeable with any leafy green suitable for stirring through the soup. OR get your veg quota by using diced vegetables of any kind!
Dried vs canned beans
Dried will give you slightly better flavour in the beans, you can control the salt yourself (because canned beans are typically quite generously salted) and is more economical. Canned beans is sheer convenience – and is what I use 95% of the time.
You’ll need either 2 cups of dried beans, or 3 canned beans. I’m using white cannellini beans in these photos and the video, but you can use any white beans:
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lima
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butter beans
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navy beans (haricot)
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great northern
This recipe will also work with coloured beans (kidney beans, black beans etc) without changing the flavour BUT you might end up with an interesting broth colour!
Recipe includes directions for how to cook dried beans.
How to make this creamy bean soup
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Saute onion, carrot, garlic and tomato paste;
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Simmer with stock/broth;
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Add just 1/2 cup of beans – we use this to thicken the broth!
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Blitz blitz blitz
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Add remaining beans and spinach,
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Serve!
Three little things that make all the difference…
The three things in this recipe that makes a relatively simple soup taste so much better than you think it will are:
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Slowly sauté onion, garlic and carrot which makes them sweet and flavourful;
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Cook off the tomato paste – this takes off the harsh raw, sour edge;
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Blitz it all up with the stock/broth and some of the beans. Blitzing = flavour release, beans = thickens soup!
And here’s what you end up with – a thick, creamy soup with the wonderful scent of tomato but tastes creamy and savoury like a chowder. It’s incredibly filling – and will keep you full, thanks to all the beans!
Serve with soup dunkers
Beans are a starch, so technically I guess serving with bread could be considered carb overkill. BUT! Remember that beans are good for you – they are the world’s best plant based source of protein, high in fibre, low in fat.
With all that goodness happening in this bean soup, I feel like a soup dunker is not just ideal, it’s justified – so try one of these!
Also, I use a large mound of spinach in this to get my veg quota in. But a big leafy salad certainly wouldn’t go astray – tossed with a salad dressing of choice! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Creamy Tomato Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp/ 30g butter , unsalted
- 1 onion , finely chopped (brown, yellow, white)
- 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
- 1 carrot , large, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp Italian herb mix OR other dried herbs (oregano, thyme, parsley, basil, or mixed)
- 3/4 cup (170g) tomato paste (Note 1)
- 1/2 cup (125ml) dry white wine , optional (can omit)
- 4 cups (1 litre) stock/broth, chicken or veg , low sodium
- 3 x 420g/15oz cans cannellini or any white beans, drained & rinsed (navy, butter, great northern, lima) (OR 2 cups dried beans, 5.5 cups cooked, Note 2)
- 1/2 cup (50g) parmesan , grated
- 1/2 tsp EACH salt and pepper
- 120g/4oz baby spinach (or 5 - 6 cups any other leafy greens OR 4 cups diced veg, Note 3)
- 3/4 cup (185ml) cream, heavy/thickened (optional) OR more butter!
Instructions
- Melt butter in a pot over medium high heat. Cook garlic, onion and carrot for 5 minutes until carrot is soft and sweet.
- About 3 minutes in, add the Italian herbs and cook with the onion (makes the herb flavour "bloom").
- Turn heat up to high, add tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes to remove the “raw” flavour.
- Add white wine, cook for 3 minutes until the harsh “winey” smell is gone and mostly evaporates so you’re just left with tomato paste again.
- Add 1/2 cup of beans (to thicken soup), stock, parmesan, salt and pepper. Stir, low heat, cover and simmer 3 minutes, stirring every now and then.
- Use a stick blender to puree until smooth (or transfer to blender).
- Add remaining beans, simmer 3 minutes. Stir in spinach until wilted, then stir in cream if using. Add more salt and pepper if needed (note: canned beans are already salted).
- Serve with crusty bread for dunking!
Recipe Notes:
- 1 can = 1 3/4 cups beans once drained
- Recipe calls for 3 cans = 5 1/4 cups beans
- 1 cup dried beans = 2 3/4 cups cooked
- So you will need 2 cups dried beans (2 x 2.75 = 5 1/2 cups cooked beans)
Nutrition Information:
More bean recipes
No bland beans around here!!
And more hearty soups!
Life of Dozer
Just another day in the Hard Life of Dozer – starting the morning with a beach play!
Kristen says
Nagi, I made this soup today. I followed your recipe exactly with the exception of subbing whole milk for heavy cream. This soup is so simple but oh my gosh it is delicious. Love it!! I recently found your blog and am really enjoying it. Thanks.
Nagi says
Wahoo, perfect Kristen!! N x
Carmen says
Hello Nagi & Dozer,
Please can I use chickpeas?
Oh, I love your soups😊, yummy 😋
Nagi says
yes 100% Carmen!! Enjoy! N x
Louise says
Hi Nagi.
Sounds very yum.
I was wondering if you thought nutritional yeast would work instead of the parmasan cheese? I don’t have parma at home, but have some nutritional yeast.
Thanks,
Louise x
Nagi says
Hi Louise – I’m not sure to be honest I haven’t tried! Let me know if you try it, I’d love to know how it works out!! N x
Caroline O'Sullivan says
Nagi this is a winner! Wow! So creamy that I decided to leave out the cream! Added celery and the diced white part of two zucchini’s with the carrot with the rest of the lovely green skin diced zucchini bits at the end with the spinach! The written method is missing instructions for the addition of the herbs but the video sorted this out! This will be on high rotation this winter! Thank you! ❤️
Kathi says
Thanks for a great soup recipe – but left out the beans and the spinach as I had none here at home and we are supposed to not go out. So I used what I had. Also, I added 1 tablespoon sugar to cut the acid in the tomato paste. Fantastic soup!!!! Yum and of course I had crusty French bread to go with it.
Mici says
Am just now ordering the soup items online to be delivered this coming week-looks so easy and good! 50 years ago when I was 30, I taught my German Shepherd puppy how to use a dog recently installed dog door. No amount of encouragement worked. So I had him watch me crawl thru it. It took 2x but he then timidly tried it and with much vocal encouragement mastered it! Loved that dog so much and know how special the bond you and Dozer must have. Good luck with the dog door and thank you for both all the recipes and the Dozer updates.
Nagi says
I can just picture this Mici!! 😂 the things we do for our pets!!
Tara says
Such a good meal to use what’s in our pantries right now!
Nagi says
Yes 100%!!!
Dave says
UPDATE: Nagi… This soup was a hit. I served it with crusty bread. It’s all gone! Delicious! thanks
Nagi says
YESSSS!!! Love this Dave! N x
Margaret says
Re the dog door …
I trained my cat with savoury treats available only by hand after accessing the pet door. It took very little time!
Annette says
Thank you again Nagi! Smashing soup recipe and neat trick to blend the beans to the make it creamy! This recipe is perfect for my cream intolerant family (minus the cream of course!)
Nagi says
I’m so glad you love it!! N x
Debbie Empson says
This sounds amazing, will definitely be trying next week!! (nothing wrong with exclamation marks) 🙂
Nagi says
I hope you love it Debbie – let me know how it goes! N x
Diane says
Hi Nagi, Another amazing recipe. Your website is my ‘go to’ site for inspiration. I have made the Creamy Tomato Bean soup but note that the recipe doesn’t include the step for the Italian herbs, however, I worked it out from the video. Keep up the wonderful work which is so appreciated by so many. Diane
Nagi says
Thanks Diane, I’ll fix this now! N x
Donna Johnson says
I made it with Napa cabbage (I didn’t have spinach) and whipping cream! Everything else I had! Delicious!! Thank you!
Nagi says
Sounds great Donna! N x
Tatiana Netchpai says
Jeeze, now I’m going to be looking for tins of cannellini beans.
It does sound delicious tho.
Ann says
Had all the ingredients in the cupboard. Made tonight for dinner. Absolutely delicious. It’s definitely a keeper. Thank you.
David says
Hello Nagi
First I have tried several of your recipes and they are awesome! You are awesome! I especially like the curry recipes! Well, I tried the bean soup recipe and doctored it up a bit with a little hot sauce! Spicy rules! Keep on keepin on gal, YAHHH!
See what I did up there? Solidarity!
Opps
Dave
Nagi says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them David!! N x
Darcie says
From Jefferson, New Hampshire-this recipe is the bomb! Made it tonight and it is ahhh-mazing!!!!!
Nagi says
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Darcie! N x
Sue Dalitz says
Can’t wait to try this – back in late summer my local fruit and veg wholesaler had boxes of 10kg of Romas for $12. I bought up and roasted them. have tomato paste for the year and the equivalent of cans x 12.
Nagi says
I’m so jealous Sue – I’d sell my soul for good tomatoes! N x
Debra Wishan says
I have a bag of dried pinto beans waiting for me to use. Do you think they would work with this recipe? Thanks Nagi
Nagi says
Hi Debra! Absolutely – I think the soup colour will be a bit more red/brown but the flavour will be pretty much the same! N x
Jackie says
I love this recipe. I used dry beans and the flavour was much better than the canned version. You are a great cook Nagi. We enjoy alot of you recipes.
Nagi says
Thanks so much Jackie! N x
Corrie says
Easy, nutritious and budget friendly! You are a champion, Nagi. Thank you!
Nagi says
You’re so welcome Corrie!! N x