Tuscan White Bean Soup: A Tasty Variation on Ina Garten's Cannellini Bean Soup Recipe Soups Lunch Dinner

Ina Garten (aka Barefoot Contessa) has some wonderful recipes. I own several of the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks and use them often. One of my favorite recipes is her Tuscan white bean soup. She uses dried cannellini beans, which take a while to cook. Because canned white cannellini beans are always in my pantry, I did a twist on her recipe using canned beans.

Serve this Tuscan white bean soup recipe for lunch or with a salad for a light dinner. You could omit the pancetta for a vegetarian version. Bulk Italian sausage is delicious in this recipe in addition to the pancetta or as a substitute.

Cuisine: Italian 
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 cans (14 ounces each) cannellini beans, drained (reserve the liquid)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced pancetta (omit for vegetarian version) 
• 1 cup chopped leeks, white and light green parts
• 1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
• 2 cups chopped onion 
• 2 cups chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
• chopped fresh parsley, for serving (optional)

Here's how to make it: 

1. Put 1 cup of the beans and 1/2 cup of their liquid into a blender and puree until smooth. Set aside. 
2. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook about 5 minutes or until browned. 
3. Add the leeks, onion, carrots, celery, garlic and rosemary. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until vegetables are tender. 
4. Add the pureed beans and whole beans, chicken broth and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat, cover and cook about 45 minutes. (You can add more chicken broth if soup gets too thick.)
5. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan, chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.

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