Best creamy Tuscan white bean soup packed with aromatics, herbs, veggies, beans and kale. An authentic Zuppa Etrusca / Zuppa Toscana finished with a luscious cannellini bean cream that will make you lick your bowls clean. It’s healthy, dairy free, gluten free, good for you and brimming with Italian flavor!

Tuscan White Bean Soup

Think of it like a creamy Minestrone soup, a veggie packed rustic and hearty Tuscan bean soup swimming in the most delicious creamy Cannellini bean broth that will have you go back for seconds and thirds. No tomatoes, no dairy, no cholesterol, just pure deliciousness you need to add to your recipe rotation year round. I love topping mine with this viral baked tofu sausage bits, but really it’s perfect as is.

Useful Ingredient Notes

Leeks – a favorite flavor base aromatic especially when paired with potatoes and creamy beans such as in this soup. Remember to rinse well after chopping as leeks can have lots of sand and dirt trapped in between its layers but it easily sinks to the bottom of a bowl of water after just a few minutes if soaking.
Onion + Garlic – for more flavor and nutrition, they compliment the leeks and you don’t have to choose between one or the other unless you want to of course. Use both if available.
Carrot + Celery -More complex aromatic base with a mild sweetness to balance out the earthiness of the other ingredients, to add both body and nutrition.
Fresh Fennel Bulb – A classic Tuscan addition to soups and stews, it has a very mild flavor profile with a special “je ne sais quoi” that will make your soup special.
Fennel Seeds + Rosemary – The herbs and spices that define my Tuscan flavor profile throughout the soup. It’s a beautiful fragrance that permeates all the ingredients and gets better with every passing day as the soup sits in the fridge and all the flavors get to mingle and marry.
Potatoes – Use a golden waxy variety that won’t completely disintegrate in the soup. I want to have little chunks of texture throughout.
Cabbage – a classic healthy ingredient especially during the winter months. You can use thinly sliced Savoy or Nappa varieties here as they are more tender, mild flavored and melt into the other ingredients without overpowering.
Kale – For your dark leafy greens, you can use whatever variety you like with Cavalo Nero aka Dino Kale being the classic go to for this soup. Curly kale, escarole, collard greens, spinach and even Swiss chard will work great. Use this as a reminder to add a bunch of micro nutrient packed dark leafy greens at the end.
Cannellini Beans – your classic Italian beans for more body, texture and protein.
Water vs Stock – You are essentially making a fantastic veggie stock here so there’s no need to add anything but water.

The Cannellini Bean Cream

A heavenly blend of canned cannellini beans, the aquafaba they come packed in and some of the soup broth balanced by freshly squeezed lemon juice. I love adding some fresh grated garlic here to contrast the slow cooked veggie flavors from the broth. It’s so good you could eat it with a spoon. No need for dairy and cholesterol when you have this good for you, protein packed and super delicious cream option ready in no time.

On Storage + Reheating

Like most soups and stews this one also gets better with time, so it will taste better the second and third day after all the flavors mingled and permeated each other. Reheat on the stovetop or microwave oven until hot and bubbly or freeze in individual glass containers for a cold and rainy day. Thaw out overnight in the fridge before reheating.

What to Serve With

How to Make the Best Creamy Tuscan White Bean Soup

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