Creamy Tuscan White Bean Soup (Printable)

Rich Italian soup with white beans, pancetta, sun-dried tomatoes, and cream. Gluten-free comfort in a bowl.

# Ingredient List:

→ Meats

01 - 3.5 oz pancetta, diced

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
04 - 2 celery stalks, finely diced
05 - 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
06 - 2.6 oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
07 - 2 cans (14 oz each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
08 - 1 bay leaf

→ Liquids

09 - 27 fl oz low-sodium chicken broth
10 - 4 fl oz heavy cream

→ Seasonings

11 - 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs blend
12 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
13 - Salt to taste
14 - Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

→ Garnishes

15 - 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional
16 - Fresh basil or parsley leaves, chopped, optional
17 - Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

# How To Make:

01 - In a large soup pot over medium heat, cook the diced pancetta until golden and crispy, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel.
02 - In the rendered pancetta fat, sauté the chopped onion, celery, and carrot until softened, approximately 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and dried Italian herbs, cooking for approximately 1 minute to release their flavors.
04 - Add the cannellini beans, chicken broth, and bay leaf to the pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
05 - Remove the bay leaf from the pot. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth, or leave it partially chunky according to preference.
06 - Stir in the heavy cream and half of the reserved pancetta. Simmer for 5 additional minutes. Season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.
07 - Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with remaining pancetta, a drizzle of olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs if desired. Serve hot.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour but tastes like you've been simmering it all day.
  • The pancetta renders its fat, which becomes the flavor foundation for everything else, so nothing feels like an afterthought.
  • You can blend it smooth or leave it chunky depending on your mood, making it adaptable to however you're feeling.
  • Heavy cream transforms simple beans and broth into something that genuinely feels luxurious without requiring exotic ingredients.
02 -
  • Don't skip the step where you cook the sun-dried tomatoes with the herbs for that extra minute; it's the difference between good soup and soup that tastes like it took hours.
  • If your soup seems too thick after blending, thin it with a splash of broth, not cream, so you don't overpower the other flavors.
  • Pancetta rendered fat is liquid gold in this recipe, so don't drain it all away or substitute it with olive oil; that fat is where most of the flavor lives.
03 -
  • Don't rinse the sun-dried tomatoes if they're packed in oil; let that oil go into your soup because it carries essential flavor.
  • Keep the heat at a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil so the cream doesn't break or separate, and so all the delicate flavors stay intact.
Go Back