Tuscan Bean Soup

Delicious, simple, and nutritious. That’s pretty much all I have to say about this soup. Cooking the kale for only 10 minutes with the beans and liquid was too short for my taste. The leaves were still very tough and “raw.” I cooked them for an additional 20 minutes to get them perfectly wilted and softened. They never got mushy but were slightly firm and fully cooked.

I think if this is served as a main course, it makes close to 6 servings. It keeps very well. I enjoyed the last of it almost a full week after I first made it. It is great as is, but adding a drizzle of olive oil and long shavings of Parmesan took it to another level.

Eating this soup took us back to Italy, where we first had—and fell in love with—Tuscan bean soup. We ended up ordering it every day, even though it was summertime. This recipe didn’t disappoint and will be made and enjoyed often.

I cooked the beans in a pot with a couple of the Parmesan rinds that I keep in a bag in the freezer. The broth was very flavorful. I ended up with 6 cups bean broth, 4 cups of which were used for the soup and 2 extra cups that I froze. In the hour it took my cranberry beans to cook, I prepped the rest of the ingredients. I cut the stems out of the kale and sliced them into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. I added the sliced stems to the chopped onions, carrots, and celery, and sautéed them all together. I cooked everything in the pot the beans had cooked in. All times were accurate.

The soup is delicious as written. After eating some of this soup simply, I served the rest the way that we always enjoyed ribollita. I made crostini from a baguette, put it in the soup bowls, and added the soup. I drizzled a lovely, peppery Tuscan olive oil over the top and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Che buono. Delizioso!

This is the perfect soup for a snowy evening! This comforting soup was a hit with a big pan of cornbread. I used cranberry beans, and they were tender in 1 1/2 hours. They held their shape and were just tender to the bite. My bean cooking liquid was approximately 3 cups, so I added water to make 4 cups. The soup was really full of vegetables. I think next time I would add an additional 1 cup water or broth to the soup. The soup was full of flavor and deliciously healthy. I’ll definitely make it again.

This is a great soup. The ingredients are simple, fresh, and a great combination. The recipe works as written and produces a hearty soup that tastes like so much more than the sum of its parts. The beans can be soaked overnight and cooked in advance. This makes for a quick evening meal in about 30 minutes on a busy weeknight. The soup did need a significant amount of salt.

As the temperature drops, we all like to have something to warm our bellies, and there’s nothing better than a hearty soup, right? Well, this Tuscan bean soup definitely fits the bill. It’s very easy to prepare and is just like nonna made. It can be a warming appetizer or a meal by itself with some crusty Italian bread.

Borlotti, or cranberry, beans can be found in most supermarkets. I soaked them overnight. The pepper flakes can be to taste but are an important ingredient—I used 1/4 teaspoon, which didn’t make it hot but imparted a subtle hint of spice. I de-stemmed the kale and gave it a rough chop and followed the recipe from there. I served this as a first course to guests, and they raved about it, so I have additional tasters that want the recipe.

The times in the recipe are accurate but your temps can vary. Just taste as you go and you can’t go wrong with this one. It can be frozen for the future or kept in the fridge for leftovers—just add a bit of water or broth if it’s too thick. This is for sure going on my winter soup lineup.

This hearty Tuscan bean soup will serve you impressively as a complete dinner with a crusty hunk of bread. If I don’t have a vat of soup stashed in my fridge at all times for a quick snack or a meal, then I simply must make one. And that’s exactly what my situation was when I put this one to the test. Everything about this recipe, including the amounts and timing, proved to be fairly accurate.

Although this vegetarian soup can definitely stand alone, I just can’t pass up the opportunity to add sausage to a bean soup. So after I dutifully performed the requisite testing and tasting, I tossed a couple sausage links into the pot and simmered for 10 more minutes. Then I removed the sausages, sliced them, and added them back to the pot. Other tweaks included dusting the top with a generous blanket of Parmesan cheese.

I enjoyed this soup with a crusty rosemary roll, and it made me think that this soup could benefit from a branch of fresh rosemary tossed into the mix. (Next time!) It makes quite a large pot, so you will likely have delicious leftovers for lunch the next day.

This recipe is a keeper. After cooking the beans for 1 1/2 hours, they were tender and ready to eat. As the vegetables were cooking, I chiffonaded the kale, ending up with close to 6 cups, although of course, once the kale cooked, it wilted down. The cooking liquid needed about 1 cup extra water, but I used chicken broth instead for additional flavor. I’m not sure that 10 minutes in the pot is enough time for the bay leave to extract any flavor. A pinch of basil, tarragon, thyme, or all of them would add more dimension to the flavor. As a meal, this will serve maybe 4 people.