Creamy Tuscan White Bean Soup with Bacon and Kale

This creamy Tuscan white bean soup starts with crisp bacon, softens onion, carrot and celery in the drippings, then simmers three cans of cannellini beans in chicken broth. Mashing about a cup of the beans thickens the pot naturally, and a cup of heavy cream, a handful of kale and freshly grated Parmesan finish it. A spoonful of lemon juice at the end keeps it from tasting flat.

It is an Italian-inspired American soup rather than a traditional Tuscan recipe: bean soups in Tuscany are usually built on olive oil and bread, not cream and bacon. Plan on about 50 minutes from the first chop to the table, and it serves 6.

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How Long It Really Takes

Many versions of this soup promise 20 minutes of cooking. Once you add up each stage on a home burner, the honest number is closer to 35:

• Bacon: 6 to 8 minutes over medium heat until crisp.
• Onion, carrot and celery: 6 to 8 minutes until the onion is soft and the carrot bends.
• Garlic and spices: 1 minute.
• Bringing the broth to a boil, then simmering the beans: about 4 minutes to boil plus 8 to 10 minutes of simmering.
• Kale, cream and Parmesan: 6 to 8 minutes at a gentle heat.

Prep takes about 15 minutes, because there is bacon to chop, three vegetables to dice, kale to strip and a block of Parmesan to grate. That makes 15 minutes of prep, 35 minutes of cooking and 50 minutes total.

Ingredient Notes

Thick-cut bacon: Six slices give enough fat to cook the vegetables and enough crisp pieces to top every bowl. Keep only about 1 tablespoon of the drippings; more makes the soup greasy once the cream goes in.

Cannellini beans: Three 15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed. Rinsing removes the starchy, salty canning liquid so you control the thickness and the salt. Great Northern beans work the same way.

Low-sodium chicken broth: Three cups makes a thick, spoonable soup with this many beans. If you like it thinner, keep another cup of broth nearby and add it at the end.

Heavy cream: One cup gives a pale, silky broth. Heavy cream holds up to gentle heat and to the lemon juice better than milk or half-and-half.

Kale: Two cups of chopped leaves, stems removed. Lacinato (Tuscan) kale turns tender quickly and stays dark green; curly kale works too but needs a minute or two longer.

Parmesan: Half a cup, grated from a block. It melts smoothly into the broth instead of clumping.

Seasoning: Italian seasoning, dried thyme, black pepper and optional red pepper flakes. Hold the salt until the very end.

Making the Soup

Crisp the bacon

Put the chopped bacon in a cold 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven and set it over medium heat. Stir now and then for 6 to 8 minutes, until the fat has rendered and the pieces are browned and crisp at the edges. Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the drippings, leaving the browned bits on the bottom of the pot.

Soften the vegetables

Add the butter, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the carrot pieces are soft enough to bend. The moisture from the vegetables loosens the browned bacon bits; scrape them up as you stir. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, thyme, black pepper and red pepper flakes, if using, and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.

Simmer and mash the beans

Add the beans and broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, 8 to 10 minutes, until the carrots are tender. Press about 1 cup of the beans against the side of the pot with a potato masher or the back of a large spoon, then stir. The broth turns cloudy and thickens slightly while most of the beans stay whole. Stop there; mashing more makes the soup pasty.

Finish with kale, cream and Parmesan

Stir in the kale and simmer 3 to 4 minutes, until it is dark green and tender but still has some shape. Turn the heat to low, pour in the cream and warm it 2 to 3 minutes, until the soup is steaming but not bubbling. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the Parmesan until it melts. Add the lemon juice, then taste and add salt only if it needs it. Ladle into bowls and top with the crisp bacon and a little more Parmesan, if you like.

Salt and Seasoning

In a creamy Tuscan white bean soup like this one, bacon, broth and Parmesan all bring salt, and rinsed canned beans still carry some. That is why the recipe adds salt only after the cheese and lemon go in. Most pots need no more than 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon. The lemon juice does not make the soup taste sour; it lifts the cream and beans so they taste less heavy.

Troubleshooting

• Too thick: Beans keep absorbing liquid as the soup sits. Stir in broth, 1/4 cup at a time, over low heat.
• Too thin: Mash another 1/2 cup of beans against the pot and simmer 2 minutes before the cream goes in.
• Grainy or separated broth: The soup boiled after the cream or cheese was added. Keep it at a bare steam from that point on.
• Greasy surface: Too much bacon fat stayed in the pot. Blot the surface with a folded paper towel.
• Tough kale: Curly kale or thick ribs need another 2 minutes before the cream goes in.

Variations

• Spinach instead of kale: Stir in 3 cups of baby spinach after the cream; it wilts in about a minute.
• Without bacon: Use 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the butter and add a pinch of smoked paprika. Vegetable broth makes it meat-free.
• Lighter: Half-and-half can replace the cream, but keep the heat very low because it separates more easily.
• Spicier: Increase the red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon.

Storage and Reheating

• Refrigerate: Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours for up to 4 days. Store the bacon separately so it stays crisp.
• Reheat: Warm over low to medium-low heat, stirring often and adding a splash of broth, until steaming hot. Do not let it boil. In the microwave, heat in 1-minute bursts and stir between them.
• Freeze: For the best texture, freeze the soup before adding the kale, cream and Parmesan, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, reheat, then finish with the kale and dairy.

More Bean and Vegetable Soups

If you want a tomato-based bean soup, try our Tuscan white bean and cabbage soup. For another hearty bowl with bacon, make the cowboy bean soup, or go meatless with the French lentil soup. You can also browse all of our soup recipes.

Creamy White Bean Soup Questions

Can I use dried beans? Yes. About 1 1/2 cups of dried cannellini, soaked and cooked until tender, replaces the three cans. Salt them lightly while they cook.

Do I need a blender? No. Mashing part of the beans in the pot gives the creamy body while keeping plenty of whole beans.

Why add the Parmesan off the heat? Boiling makes the cheese tighten into strings and can separate the cream. Off the heat, it melts smoothly.

What should I serve with it? Crusty bread or garlic toast for dipping, and a simple green salad.

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