Comforting Tuscan White Bean Chickpea Soup
Comforting Tuscan White Bean Chickpea Soup
This Comforting Tuscan White Bean Chickpea Soup is the perfect bowl of heartiness for those cold fall and winter days in the season. Filled with an array of vegetables such as onions, garlic, kale, celery, carrots, and gracefully paired with bold tuscan herbs + seasonings, chickpeas and white beans, this soup is quite the healthy meal and surely does warm things up nicely while keeping you full! All dairy-free + vegan ingredients. Slow Cooker option.
I couldn't be more excited to share yet another soup recipe this week for SOUP WEEK on Orchids + Sweet Tea! While many soups that I've had the pleasure of indulging in lately have been creamy and velvety in texture, this chickpea and white bean soup comes with a different texture but just as much jam-packed flavor. If you're a lover of tuscan-style flavors, then you're sure to love this easy, hearty Comforting Tuscan White Bean Chickpea Soup recipe! Personally, I enjoy soup year-round, however, since the Fall season is just a few days away, I believe that it's a good idea to stock up on soup recipes to try in the coming months like this one.
In this soup recipe, you'll find a ton of flavor and the bite of every veggie will leave you feeling full, nourished, and comforted without the need for meat. It's all about using stocks or broths more than just fresh water, which adds a ton of extra flavor. Plus, you can take it a step further and even add in the bone broth. SO good! You'll truly enjoy this Fall Detox Sweet Potato Veggie Soup or Loaded Vegan Veggie Soup. Also, Indulge in the fiery goodness of our Spicy Vegan Chili--A bold and hearty dish that's a flavor explosion in every spoonful.
Lately, I’ve been asked for advice on keeping things interesting, especially when eating a plant-based or vegan diet. While I’m not a total Herbivore, my family and I make a commitment to eating most things that are Vegan---which is why I wrote this article on How to Best Transition into a Plant-Based or Vegan Diet.
Jump to:
- What You’ll Love Most About This Soup
- The Process in 3 Simple Steps:
- How to Make Comforting Tuscan White Bean Chickpea Soup
- The Ingredients
- The Best White Beans to Use for this Soup
- How to Use Dried Beans in Soup
- Tips For Making Good Soup Every Time:
- Tuscan Seasoning Blend
- Serving Suggestions for This Tuscan Soup
- What Can Be Used in Place of Kale in this Soup?
- What Are Delicious Foods to Pair This Soup With?
- WHY I LOVE ADDING TURMERIC TO SOUPS!
- Common Q + A's for this Comforting Tuscan White Bean Chickpea Soup
- More Cozy + Hearty Fall Recipes
- MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
- Comforting Tuscan White Bean Chickpea Soup
What You’ll Love Most About This Soup
- It’s super easy to make.
- Simple set + forget it—-Simmer, Simmer, Simmer over the stovetop! There's even a slow-cooker option!
- Only requires ONE pot and a handful of staple ingredients.
- Makes for a great weeknight meal---completely dairy-free + vegan!
- Smooth, chunky, + comforting, all at the same time.
- Super flavorful and herby.
The Process in 3 Simple Steps:
- Begin by prepping your ingredients first! I find it to be a much easier process when I rinse, dice, and chop all ingredients that are needed. This allows you to be best organized and reduces the mess factor.
- Cook all of your veggies in a large dutch pot (it helps to cook your soup best) and in veggie stock. Then you let it simmer on low for a few minutes for the greatest fusion of flavor.
- Finally, you stir, season again for taste, and wallah. It’s magic!
How to Make Comforting Tuscan White Bean Chickpea Soup
To make this Comforting Tuscan White Bean Chickpea Soup, you'll start by sautéing the veggies along with the seasonings. Doing so enriches the flavors greatly. Also, this enhances the rich, caramel flavors in the soup.
The key for this recipe is to prep all of the ingredients, put everything together and let it all simmer for a nice slow cook. Stir, season again (if needed), and wallah!
The Ingredients
Here's what you need to make this Comforting Tuscan White Bean Chickpea Soup at home:
- Cannellini beans. I used a can of beans, drained, and rinsed them. See further in post for best types of white beans as substitute.
- Chickpeas. One of the stars of the show, it adds a healthy dose of protein and a hearty texture. However, you can substitute with black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, lentils, edamame, mung beans, or soybeans if preferred.
- Onion, celery, and carrot. These vegetables create the delicious, flavorful, aromatic base of the soup and also add great nutritional value.
- Vegetable stock. Use store-bought low-sodium broth or make your own! For added nutrition, add in half the amount in bone broth (non-vegan option---of course).
- Olive oil. You can also use vegan butter, Grapeseed oil or coconut oil as well.
- Tuscan seasoning blend. A great addition of flavor. Adds such savoriness from the salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, oregano, basil, parsley, and thyme.
- Fresh Greens. I use kale, but spinach, collard greens, or Bokchoy also works well to add some greens, Vitamins, and color in.
- Garlic. You'll mince your garlic for a good sauté. I prefer fresh, but you could substitute with ½ teaspoon garlic powder in a pinch.
- Nutritional yeast. This is a key vegan ingredient for cheesy flavor. If you haven't tried it yet, I strongly recommend it! It also has great nutritional value like a great source of vitamins and minerals and is considered a "complete protein".
- Red tomato paste. This is my secret flavor-enhancer and the thing that gives this dish some color.
- Lemon juice. You can use store-bought or freshly-squeeze juice from an actual lemon.
The Best White Beans to Use for this Soup
When it comes to this Comforting Tuscan White Bean Chickpea Soup recipe, I love using white beans like Cannellini beans, however, there are actually 4 types of white beans that can be used:
- Navy Beans
- Great Northern Beans
- Cannellini Beans
- Baby Lima Beans
Out of all of the beans, Navy (Pea) Beans are perfect for creamier dishes since they mash really well while cooked. While Northern Beans are bit bigger in size than Cannellini Beans, but they are neutral in that they take on any flavor of the dish they're added to.
Just know that any of these four types of beans are perfect for soups like this one.
How to Use Dried Beans in Soup
I love the convenience of using canned beans, especially during weeknights where time is limited. But if you have more time or would like to use dried beans, no worries!
Simply soak your beans overnight covered in water to help cut down on the cook time. For a quicker soak time, simply add your beans to water in a pot, bring to a boil, remove from heat and cover the pot to let the beans rest in the water for at least 1 hour.
Then on the day of, boil your beans in water for 60-180 minutes, depending on the type of bean and it's size. Smaller beans cook on the quicker end of this timeframe.
Tips For Making Good Soup Every Time:
Now, if you're intimidated with making soup or are concerned that it won't turn out as delicious, no worries. In my experience with making many different types of soup and watching the adults around me make a TON of soup (it's a staple in the Jamaican culture), I've learned a few things along the way that can help you make really good soup, including this Comforting Tuscan White Bean Chickpea Soup:
- Chop your veggies and ingredients into bite-sized pieces for greater ease when eating.
- ALWAYS sauté your veggies, especially the garlic, onions, etc.
- Make your own stock if you can or use water as your base with seasonings + herbs for a great taste. If using store-bought stock/broth, always purchase high-quality ones.
- Let it simmer. While you might be tempted to cook your soup on high for a faster cook time, it's definitely BEST to let everything simmer and allow the flavors to "fuse" together slowly.
- If using meat, always sear your meat in the pot first prior to adding it to the soup to cook the rest of the way.
- If adding dairy or an alternative, always stir it in last or during the final few minutes.
- To thicken (if needed), always mix your thickener (flour, arrowroot, starch, etc.) in a small bowl with some of the hot broth from your soup before adding it to the entire pot of soup. This prevents lumps and gives you a nice creaminess.
Tuscan Seasoning Blend
Sure, you can find pre-made seasoning blends at the grocery store. But there's nothing like the fresh, customized flavor you get by making your own blend. The herbs and spices in the Tuscan spice mix for this recipe are inspired by the fresh herbs that grow in Italy, mixed with a bit of heat from smoked paprika.
You can Store the seasoning blend in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month. Use it on anything from simple roasted vegetables to salad dressing to herb oil for dipping bread.
Serving Suggestions for This Tuscan Soup
I like to add some extra texture to hearty soups like this one. Most people might enjoy hearty soups with a side of grilled cheese or brioche bread or garlic bread or naan, which is totally fine. But I wanted to share a few more ideas incase you make this chickpea + white bean soup more than once and want to switch things up outside of using the usual!
Other topping ideas include:
- Roasted broccolini or broccoli
- Crispy bacon (if you're not plant-based, of course) pr mushroom 'bacon'
- Melted cheese or grated parmesan (vegan or regular if you're not vegan!)
- Crispy sage leaves
- Roasted Brussels sprouts, shredded
- Roasted cauliflower florets
- Kale chips
What Can Be Used in Place of Kale in this Soup?
Although, kale is the most common veggie used in this chickpea + white bean tuscan soup, you can definitely use other greens such as spinach, collard greens, bokchoy, etc. for a nice twist! When it comes to vegetables, there are so many benefits as we all know. While some veggies pack a greater punch when it comes to nutrients, we’ve curated a special list of our Our Top 12 Favorite Healthy Green Leafy Vegetables! Most of these are super popular while others are under utilized in many dishes. Lettuce Eat, Shall We?
What Are Delicious Foods to Pair This Soup With?
When it comes to most soup dishes, I often enjoy them with a side of bread of some sort. Most times, I make my own homemade Bread (of some sort), however, you can choose to spruce things up with many other options such as:
A delicious Salad
Sautéed Greens
Grilled Veggies
Toasted Bread
WHY I LOVE ADDING TURMERIC TO SOUPS!
Turmeric is an amazing ingredient to incorporate into your dishes, especially in this soup. The health benefits that derive from this simple ingredient is so awesome. But if you’re wondering, what turmeric is and where you can find it—no worries. Let’s talk!
Turmeric is the spice that gives curry its yellow hue. That’s right—it creates that bright yellow color all on it’s own. The main ingredient in turmeric—curcumin, is where all the incredible benefits lie.
Benefits include -
- Improved heart health
- Very strong antioxidant
- Powerful inflammatory effects
- Strong antibacterial effects
- Aids digestion
Common Q + A's for this Comforting Tuscan White Bean Chickpea Soup
Leftovers can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, for optimal freshness. Can also be frozen for 4-6 months. To defrost, simply place soup in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature before re-heating on the stove top to serve.
This is a highly nutritious vegan ingredient that has a ton of benefits. Jam packed with B-Vitamins, Folic Acid, Zinc, and Protein. Taste wise—nutritional yeast has a cheesy, nutty, savory, ‘umami’ flavor.
Turmeric is the spice that gives curry it’s yellow hue. That’s right—it creates that bright yellow color all on it’s own. In addition, the main ingredient in turmeric—curcumin is where all the incredible benefits lie. It has powerful inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant.
The only downside is that curcumin is present at a very low rate in turmeric, therefore, the best way to gain the full benefits of this ingredient is to take supplements with high contents of curcumin, specifically. OK, so where does black pepper come in? Whelp, black pepper’s main ingredient–piperine actually helps the body to absorb curcumin (by large increases) which gives us the full effect of health benefits at work.
Piperine on it’s own has it’s own set of benefits which range from nausea relief to headaches to poor digestion. Therefore, the next time that you chose to add turmeric to your foods/drinks to add a few health benefits, don’t forget to add the black pepper. And don’t worry—it’s not that much that is required either.
Yes! To make this soup in the slow cooker, simply sauté garlic, onions, and veggies before adding all ingredients into your slow cooker and cooking on the low setting for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally---until all veggies are tender and cooked through.
More Cozy + Hearty Fall Recipes
Now that you've fallen in love with the warming flavors in this soup, here's other cozy + hearty Fall options for the entire family:
- Creamy Vegan White Bean Soup
- Creamy Roasted Red Pepper + Tomato Soup
- Creamy Cajun Pumpkin Tortellini Soup
- Hearty Cheddar Garlic Herb Potato Soup
- Creamy White Chicken Lasagna Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta and Parmesan Garlic Sauce
- Creamy Vegan Sweet Potato Pasta Skillet
- Spicy Chipotle Sweet Potato Chopped Salad
MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
If you tried this Comforting Tuscan White Bean Chickpea Soup recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you.
Comforting Tuscan White Bean Chickpea Soup
Ingredients
SOUP:
- 2 Tbsps Extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ red onion, chopped (You can also use yellow or white)
- 1-2 carrots, peeled + chopped
- 1 (15 oz.) can organic chickpeas, drained + rinsed
- 1 (15 oz.) can organic white beans, drained and rinsed (See Post above for types of white beans)
- 1 stalk celery, diced (optional)
- 2 cups organic chopped kale
- 4 cups organic vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon organic tomato paste
- 2 Tbsps nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon Tuscan seasoning blend
- ½ lemon, freshly-squeezed
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, optional
HOMEMADE TUSCAN BLEND:
- 2 tsps smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
TO MAKE THE SOUP:
- In a medium-sized dutch oven pot over medium high-heat, add the olive oil. Once heated, add the minced garlic and chopped onions, and sauté until translucent + fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, stirring and sautéing for 1-2 minutes. Add in the nutritional yeast, tuscan seasoning blend, turmeric (if using), and tomato paste, stirring to combine.
- Add in the veggie stock, stirring everything together until combined.
- Let everything boil for 1-2 minutes and then reduce heat to low to allow a simmer. Finally, add in the chickpeas, white beans, kale, and lemon juice, stirring to combine. Let it continue to simmer for another 8-10 minutes or so or until the veggies are cooked through and tender.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately into prepared bowl(s), with a side of bread or crackers, if desired.
- Bon Appetit!
Tips & Tricks
- STORAGE: Leftovers can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, for optimal freshness. Can also be frozen for 4-6 months. To defrost, simply place soup in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature before re-heating on the stove top to serve.
- NUTRITIONAL YEAST: This is a highly nutritious vegan ingredient that has a ton of benefits. Jam packed with B-Vitamins, Folic Acid, Zinc, and Protein. Taste wise—nutritional yeast has a cheesy, nutty, savory, ‘umami’ flavor.
- GREENS: Instead of kale, you can use broccoli, spinach, collard greens, or bokchoy as substitutes.
- TURMERIC: While adding turmeric is optional, it definitely has benefits: powerful medicinal properties, natural anti-inflammatory ingredient, increases antioxidant activity in the body, and more.
- SLOW COOKER OPTION: To make this soup in the slow cooker, simply sauté garlic, onions, and veggies before adding all ingredients into your slow cooker and cooking on the low setting for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally---until all veggies are tender and cooked through.
Nutrition
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This soup looks like just the supper I was yearning for tonight... will it still hold true if I double the recipe? Four servings is never enough!!
Hi Lenore! Yes, you definitely can double the recipe! I can't wait to hear how it turns out! 🙂
i so want to try your tuscan white bean soup. I’ve looked and looked and can’t see where it says how much tuscan seasoning blend I should add to the soup. Please help????
Hi Janet! I'm so sorry for any confusion! You can add 1 Tbsp of tuscan seasoning blend! 🙂
I live in the North East and it's raining and cold and I decided to make your soup today. I have to tell you, it was absolutely the best. I am a soup girl and this really ranks high on my list. I'm a new nutritional yeast user and it really makes all the difference to the depth of the flavor. God bless you, and thank you for sharing.
Hi Eugenta! Wow---I'm so thrilled that you enjoyed this soup! It's my go-to whenever I feel for an easy soup, especially during rainy chilly days! Thanks so much for choosing to give it a try! God bless you! 🙂
I LOVE those rustic Italian soups ! This recipe sounds perfect and I bet its even better the second day!
This vegan soup is so hearty and delicious.
This soup sounds absolutely wonderful! Perfect for a cold winter day. 🙂
It truly is! 🙂
Made this for dinner - yum!
So happy to her that you loved it, Elena!
Love this yummy hearty soup. It's bursting with flavor and fills my soul as well as my belly. So good. Good luck with all your upcoming changes 🙂
Yes, I love a good soup with flavor for sure! Thanks so much, Krissy! 🙂