Tuscan White Bean Soup | Ina Garten

Don’t let not having the time to soak white bean overnight stop you from making the Tuscan white bean soup. I say that because Ina Garten recipe calls for soaking the dry bean for 8 hours. Rinse and then add them to the soup base.

If you haven’t soaked, don’t fret. Go ahead and cook the dry beans, knowing it will take a bit longer. Skipping the soaking part, I go ahead and cook the dry beans, with enough water, until they become tender. (See the note below for details from Rancho Gordo.) That takes about one to one and a half hour, depending on the kind of dry beans. During that time, I chop up the pancetta and the aromatics, including leeks, onions, carrots, celery and garlic. From the time management perspective, cooking the beans without soaking them first is an efficient alternative. It makes the bean soup more accessible.

My discovery in working with heirloom beans during the covid season has been a game changer. I’ve learned that fresh dry beans do not require a whole lot of soaking. To my surprise, fresh dry beans, are faster to cook and taste creamier and richer. That’s counterintuitive given the conventional wisdom on beans. Now I’m a believer in cooking with quality heirloom beans: no soaking required.

If you’re on board with the no-soak approach (that includes regular store-bought dry beans too), then it’s just a matter of browning the pancetta and sweating the aromatics before adding the cooked beans to the soup base. It won’t be long until all the flavors meld and the vegetables and white beans are tender. Ina finishes the soup by adding parmesan. There are other great choices for garnishing the soup: fresh herbs and pesto. A dash of herbaceousness is always a deft touch.

Pancetta can be expensive and is not as readily available as say, bacon or ham bone. Feel free to use any of these substitutions. Or make the soup vegetable-forward without any animal products. Given the variety of fresh vegetables (8 cups) and the fresh dry beans (1 pound), the soup is an epitome of earthiness, simplicity and heartiness.

Print Recipe

Tuscan White Bean Soup | Ina Garten

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried white cannellini beans (for canned beans, see note)
• Good olive oil
• 4 ounces pancetta, ¼-inch diced or bacon
• 2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions)
• 2 cups (½-inch) diced carrots, scrubbed (5 carrots)
• 2 cups (½-inch) diced celery (4 ribs)
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary (I use sage)
• 8 to 10 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 2 bay leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1

At least 8 hours or the night before you make the soup, place the beans in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain the beans, rinse under cold running water, and drain again. Set aside.

2

In a large (10-inch) pot or Dutch oven such as Le Creuset, heat ¼ cup of olive oil over medium heat, add the pancetta, and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until browned. Add the leeks, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and rosemary and cook over medium-low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Add the beans, 8 cups of the chicken stock, bay leaves, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour and 30 minutes, until the beans are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot. Discard the bay leaves, cover the pot, and allow the soup to sit off the heat for 15 minutes. Add up to 2 more cups of chicken stock if the soup is too thick.

3

Reheat slowly, ladle into large shallow soup bowls, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, drizzle with olive oil, and serve hot.

Notes

FOR CANNED BEANS: First, use 2 (14-ounce) cans of white cannellini beans. Drain the beans, reserving the liquid. Place 1 cup of the beans and ½ cup of the liquid into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree. When ready to add the beans in the recipe, stir in the puree and add the remaining drained beans (discard the remaining liquid). Second, use only 6 cups of chicken stock. Third, simmer the soup for 45 minutes, rather than 1 hour and 30 minutes.