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!
Delicious! I’ve never liked soup, but this one converted me. I doubled the spices like I usually do and it came out wonderfully. Great with garlic bread dunkers and great on its own!
This was absolutely delicious and perfect for a winter blustery day. I served it with warm French bread and heard nothing but spoon sounds from my husband and son. Thank very much!
Excellent soup!
I went the pressure-cooked dried bean route, adding carrots, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. For the stock, I reserved the liquid I cooked the beans in and added Better Than Bullion.
As for timing the pressure-cooked beans, I went for 20 minutes under high-pressure and a natural release. I use a stovetop pressure cooker, so if you’re trying an Instant Pot, etc., I’d recommend a few extra minutes.
SO GOOD.
I’m glad you’ve highlighted this soup. It is so simple to make and so delicious. Everyone that I’ve ever served it to has enjoyed it.
This is an already lacto-ovo vegetarian recipe, but can Go Vegan with a few easy subs:
*A bit of oil for the butter
*Vegan parm or no parm for cheese
*Coconut cream for the cream
*Veg broth
–Don’t sleep on adding a bit of rosemary! It goes great with white beans. Grind it in the pestle/mortar first to release the oils & flavors.
!! Be careful using spinach. I eliminated it entirely – wasn’t easy – so I sub in some sauteed bok choy where it works. Spinach related illnesses and recalls occur due to feedlot runoff and it can’t be cleaned, except trimming and washing the heck out of each leaf, lol. I am Not doing that! Hello, bok choy – or napa cabbage (yum). I learned about it in the documentary, Poisoned, the dirty truth about your food.
We live on this planet as if we don’t all live on this planet!
For further info, these great movies enlighten:
–The Game Changers
(*I took the challenge & went PBWF to Vegan after seeing this one! Phenomenal results.)
–What the Health
–Eating our way to Extinction
–The interview (online) by Tom Bilyeu of Calley Means
–Kiss the Ground
–Plant Pure Nation
–Forks over Knives
–Poisoned: the dirty truth about your food
–Fed Up
–Food, Inc.
Thank you, Nagi, for so many years of wonderful omnivore recipes AND for this wonderful vegetable bounty. Now us newly/seasoned vegetarian/vegans can continue to enjoy from your phenomenal recipes while staying true to our regimen (or our “veg-reg,” as I call it, lol).
Every time I stop by your site, I try Really Hard Not to think about that Jalapeno Popper Dip. For Vegans, cheese is often the last thing to phase out and poses quite the challenge to resist! Many subs exist now for plant-based cheese……maybe I will try them with that recipe! Love to you & Dozer and your team from Cali, and all the selfless efforts to keep us well fed. I think about all the hours of sacrifice Dozer has put in as a taste-tester, as I brave the new veg-reg recipes and convert my Recipe Tin faves to Vegan (as much as I can).
Hi Nagi, I’m excited to make this. I only have crushed tomatoes at the moment, so I’m going to use those, but I always notice a sour taste whenever I use them. Do you know how I could combat that?
Add some sugar to take the bitterness out of the tomato’s – start off with roughly 1/2 teaspoon and have a taste, if it needs more add more until you achieve your desired taste 🙂
OMG Nagi WHERE HAS THIS SOUP BEEN ALL MY LIFE?! It ticks all the boxes – delicious, healthy, quick, simple, kid-friendly. The whole family loved it and will be added to the regular rotation. Thanks so much Nagi! x
Just made this soup for lunch. It’s so nice! Making your fish gratin later! I’m excited!
This soup is delicious! Def adding it to my rotation.
Oh dude…..Another jamin soup….This will be a special do-over…Did it with garlic bread…
Thanx Nagi.. 🙂
So easy and so delicious. I have made twice now – used non alcoholic wine as that’s all I had and it tasted fantastic.
Do yourself a favour and make double to freeze some when you can’t be bothered cooking – it’s so filling with some grilled cheese toasties!
What a sensational winter soup
and so easy to make. I made a large batch and froze it. Will 100% make it again.
This was absolutely delicous I used tin beans as had none that were dried and slightly less than the full amount of cream. We had leftovers 2 days later and it was still delicious. So easy!
So yummy! I’ve got a new winter soup to add to the mix. This is hearty, creamy, and delicious. I omitted the wine and didn’t use as much cream and it was still really good.
This was so delicious! I used asiago cheese in place of Parmesan as I love asiago; otherwise stuck to the recipe. This soup was delightful and, yes, I may be full for the rest of the day..
Made it, loved it. Your suggestion to serve with bread should be a required ingredient
Wow! absolutely delicious. I want to give it 0 stars…. for making me eat so much I can’t move! but truely delicious.
This soup is fantastic ! I’m trying to use up the easter ham so chopped some and added to soup. Even my husband who doesn’t like beans is a fan . Thanks Nagi !
Wow, this was delicious! I didn’t add wine but followed the rest of the recipe. Definitely making it again. My husband who is a picky eater also loved it! Thank you for a great recipe!
This soup is wonderful. Flavor, mouth feel, what’s not to love? Thanks!
Also, I want to thank you for having both metric and US measures. It saves a lot of hassle!