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!
Barbara Carpenter says
Nagi, thank you for the very practical recipes you are posting lately. They get us outside our usual boxes and help us use some of those ingredients we under use.
Nagi says
You’re so welcome Barbara, thanks so much!! N x
Bobbi J says
Beans are one of my faves, (next to potatoes) and I am going to love this bean soup recipe!!!!!!!
Rancho Gordo Beans are the best in the world, in Northern California – but they are mostly sold out now due to demand, so I’ll use canned canellinis.
Love you & Dozer, and I love your exclamation marks!!!!!!!!
Nagi says
I hope you love it Bobbi – love to know what you think! N x
Jenny (from British Columbia) says
Oh good, something to do with those cans of beans I stocked up on. Other than beans for chili or humous, hardly ever buy them. But everyone was snapping them up getting ready for Armageddon. Monkey see; monkey do !!! 🙈🙈
Nagi says
Yes definitely Jenny! But you’ll have the best recipe for them! N x
Maria says
You are too funny. 😀🌞🌈
Nagi says
🙂 N x
Jonathan Schrauer says
It’s good to have you back and cooking! The shot of you and Dozer should read it’s nap time.
Nagi says
😂 Definitely Jonathan! N x
Mary Tognazzini says
So happy to see your e-mail and that special dog. Soup tonight!
Nagi says
Thanks Mary! N x
Sherry says
First I love beans, they are so healthy for a person and you can do so many things with them. Tonight this will be dinner with some of your crusty bread here. Oh, I love Dozer, he is so cute and such a happy dog. Love to see him smile….those bright eyes says it all!
Nagi says
I hope you love this recipe Sherry, love to know how it goes!! N x
Cheryl Foster says
Yum! I can’t wait to make this. Most of my favorite ingredients are all here! I will try it in the IPot, Cooking the beans and aromatics first, then remove some before blending it up.
Ron says
Bean soup!!!!! I’m all over this one as I love beans in all forms.
Don’t know if I can get into the tuna addition, but adding chopped up left over BBQ sound like a winner to me.
We tried the high dollar doggie door with Chloe girl, but she just slapped it with her paw and barked at it. I think it’s one of those things one should teach one’s dog when it’s a puppy.
Nagi says
You could customise it to whatever suites Ron!! N x
Martha H says
Hi from Charleston SC Nagi I think you’re great! Don’t pay attention to people who don’t see the “Love” you put in your recipes…
Nagi says
Thanks Martha!! N x
TANA M PARKINSON says
Nagi, or anyone who has experimented with this recipe…. I’m on a very restricted Keto eating plan and only beans allowed are Black Soy Beans. Has anyone tried using a Black Bean of any kind, or specifically Black Soy Beans?? BTW, this sounds DELISH!!!!!!!
Nagi says
Hi Tana! I have not but knowing how they taste, they will work fine! You just need to make sure the beans are soft enough so they will puree smooth to thicken the soup 🙂 If they are a bit on the firm side, just simmer the soup for longer until they are soft enough to puree! N x
TANA M PARKINSON says
Thanks so much!! Trying it this weekend!
Liz says
Here in Scotland getting tinned tomatoes isn’t a problem but beans are like hen’s teeth!!!
Nagi says
Really Liz?!
Susan A. says
I do believe you’ve forgotten the ‘❤’ button. But seeing how busy you have ‘bean’, it’s understandable. 🙃
Redonia Moore says
I love beans in my soups so I will be making this tonight. I train ed my eight year old dog to go through the dog door by getting in front of him and crawling in first, then while I was still on the floor I held the door open for him and he followed me through. It only took my going in once and then out once. Dozer is smart, he will learn quickly!
Cameron says
I haven’t made this yet, but it looks as amazing as your other recipes, many of which are part of our regular rotation at home.
Quick question: would you recommend adding celery with the onion and carrot?
Thank you for the amazing work that you do. Long time fan, first time poster!
Nagi says
Hi Cameron! 100% yes to celery, I would have too except it’s very expensive in recent weeks 🙂 N x
Cameron says
Hi Nagi, thank you for responding. Yep, I’ve just been to the shops and it was way too expensive, so I’ll just stick to the recipe. Thank you again for all your excellent and affordable ideas!
Elsie says
Hi Nagi,
This soup looks amazing, I’m hoping to make it tomorrow, but I’m just wondering if it would be possible to purée ALL the beans in the soup? Or would it thicken too much? My kids aren’t big fans of texture, unfortunately 🙄. Thank you
Nagi says
Hi Elsie! You’ll find that it will thicken the soup too much BUT what you could do is use just 1 whole can of beans and puree it all, the soup will be even thicker (kind of like pumpkin soup thickness) but that way you only use one can of beans and will have a giant pot of soup that will feed 4 people! N x