Make this hearty White Bean Soup using your pantry ingredients! This delicious comforting meal is healthy, plant-based, easy to prep, and budget friendly!
If you are looking for a comforting recipe that is healthy, plant-based, easy to make, and budget friendly, you should try this Mediterranean Soup with Cannellini Beans! It’s packed with vegetables and will be perfect for dinner or lunch.
Why you will love this recipe
There are many reasons why you will love this meal:
- Delicious! This creamy and hearty meal is absolutely delicious!
- Healthy! It’s packed with nutritious vegetables and beans. Plus, it’s gluten-free and vegan!
- Easy and Quick! It takes about 30 minutes to make it and most of the cooking time is passive. So, it will be perfect for a busy week night!
- Budget Friendly! You will find most of the ingredients in your pantry.
How to make White Bean Soup
In a large pot or a Dutch Oven, heat up olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until caramelized, about 10 minutes. (Photos 1-2)
Add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds to release the aroma. Then add chopped carrots and cook for another minute. (Photos 3-4)
Add seasoning (salt, black pepper, dried oregano, and dried thyme) and stir in. (Photos 5-8)
Add cannellini beans, pour in vegetable broth and water. Bring everything to boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes. (Photos 9-12)
Add spinach and cook for another few minutes until it wilts. (Photos 13-14)
I like to serve this soup with some grated Parmesan cheese which adds more flavor and creaminess.
Tips for best results
- Play around with the seasoning. You can always adjust the proportions and add some other spices, like thyme, cumin, or turmeric.
- This recipe will be enough for 4 people. You can easily double the ingredients to have more leftovers for the week.
Options and Substitutions
- If you have more veggies on hand, you can easily add them , like zucchini, potatoes, celery, and even canned tomatoes.
- If you don’t have fresh spinach, feel free to use frozen spinach. Just make sure to defrost it before adding.
- For a vegan option, skip Parmesan cheese completely or you can use vegan Parmesan.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to serve this hearty meal with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and some bread (check out my Sandwich Bread Recipe and Easy Dinner Rolls).
If you have any leftovers, put them in an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days.
Yes! You can freeze it in an air-tight container for up to 2 months. To thaw, leave it in the fridge overnight, the reheat in a pot or a sauce pan over medium heat.
If you liked this recipe, you might like my other soup ideas, like these:
- Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup
- Instant Pot Minestrone
- Beef Borscht
- Instant Pot Chicken Soup
- Instant Pot Barley Soup
- Cold Beet Soup
- Instant Pot Lentil Soup Recipe
- Pasta e Fagioli Soup
White Bean Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ large onion (or 1 small onion) finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large carrot chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 28 oz cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups spinach
- Parmesan cheese grated, for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot or a Dutch Oven, heat up 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onions and cook until caramelized, about 10 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and stir for about 30 seconds to release the aroma. Then add chopped carrots and cook for another minute.
- Add seasoning (½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, 1 tsp dried oregano, and ½ tsp dried thyme), and stir in.
- Add 28 oz drained and rinsed cannellini beans, pour in vegetable broth and water. Bring everything to boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Add 2 cups spinach and cook for another few minutes until it wilts.
- I like to serve this soup with some grated Parmesan cheese which adds more flavor and creaminess to the soup.
Notes
- You can add more vegetables to this soup, like zucchini, potatoes, celery, and even canned tomatoes.
- If you don’t have fresh spinach, feel free to use frozen spinach. Just make sure to defrost it before adding to the soup.
- For a vegan option, skip Parmesan cheese completely or you can use vegan Parmesan.
Such delicate flavored and hearty soup. Totally my kind of soup. I love how easy it is to make this soup.
White bean are my favorite beans and your soup looks so comforting . You are right the ingredients are very simple and like most people I appreciate that. I can’t wait to try this yumminess !
This is absolute comfort food! I cannot wait for fall honestly because I’ve been craving soup for a while now. A bowl of this and homemade biscuits is all I need 😀
A perfect and comforting soup! Pinned to make soon, thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!
I have a rogue can of white beans that’s been mocking me in my pantry. This is going to be the perfect recipe to use them in!
Pinned for later! Been making a lot more plant/veggie based dinners and trying to incorporate more beans into my diet. Can’t wait to try this!
I really love soups and this White Bean Soup will be a perfect addition to my favorites!
Such a comforting and hearty soup. I love the brilliant flavours and can never refuse a bowl of bean soup.
The ONLY thing I like about the cold weather is comfort food. This sounds amazing. I know it would be a warm welcome on a chilly day. Hearty and delicious.
You’re right – I really do have almost all the ingredients I need to make this bean soup, hanging out at-the-ready in my pantry almost all the time! So comforting and nutritious, and such a cinch to make!