White Bean and Rosemary Soup
Cooked white beans simmer with onion, carrot, celery and rosemary; a small mashed portion gives the soup body without cream.
- Original yieldYield
- 4 servings4 servings
- PrepPrep time
- CookCook time
- TotalTotal time
Starts with cooked, drained beans; vegetable softening and a 15-minute soup simmer are included.
Published Updated
Original recipe: 4 servings
The story behind the recipe
Mash a few of the beans and the broth changes. It becomes fuller and a little creamy, while most of the cannellini stay whole among pieces of carrot and celery. Rosemary gives this soup a piney, fragrant edge, with lemon added at the end to brighten the soft beans and vegetables.
Body from the beans themselves
Cannellini are white beans with tender interiors that break down readily under a masher. They're well suited to a soup that needs both whole beans and a thicker liquid around them. Using some in each form gives a varied spoonful without bringing out a blender or adding cream.
The starting ingredient is cooked beans. Canned beans make the recipe manageable on an ordinary evening; home-cooked ones fit if they're already prepared. Weigh after draining, because the liquid in the can or cooking pot isn't part of the measured bean amount.
Only a small portion is mashed. The soup should retain a visible mixture of beans and vegetables, with broth you can still ladle. Pureeing more would move it toward a different, smoother soup. Stop while the whole ingredients have room to show.
Read more about this recipe
Rosemary and a lemon finish
Fresh rosemary is potent enough that a modest amount carries through the pot. Its firm leaves also need more preparation than a soft herb such as parsley. Strip them from the woody stems and chop finely, so the aroma reaches the broth without leaving long needles in a mouthful.
Onion, carrot and celery make a mild, sweet base around that herb. Their small pieces soften before and during the simmer, but the carrot is the one to check before serving. A tender bean was cooked before it entered the pot; it can't tell you whether a larger carrot piece has finished.
Lemon juice gives the finished soup a little acidity against the beans and olive oil. It should lift the rosemary and vegetables without making the bowl sharply sour. That fresh edge is especially welcome in a soup with a soft, substantial texture.
This is the soup option in five weeknight dinners; the collection also includes a harissa chickpea skillet for a spicier pantry meal.
Make it your wayOriginal: 4 servings
Original recipe: 4 servings
Ingredients
For 4 servings. Quantities are shown as written.
Source measurement convention: Metric. Explicit unit definitions take precedence; unconfirmed measures must be checked before conversion.
Original quantities for 4 servings.
- Olive oil30 ml
- Yellow onion, finely diced150 g
- Carrots, cut into 1 cm pieces150 g
- Celery, thinly sliced100 g
- Garlic, finely chopped12 g
- Fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped4 g
- Cooked cannellini beans, drained and rinsed720 g
- Low-sodium vegetable stock1000 ml
- Fresh lemon juice15 ml
- Fine salt3 g
- Ground black pepper1 g
Measurement notes
Measurement notes
Original ingredients
- 30 ml olive oil
- 150 g yellow onion, finely diced
- 150 g carrots, cut into 1 cm pieces
- 100 g celery, thinly sliced
- 12 g garlic, finely chopped
- 4 g fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
- 720 g cooked cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1000 ml low-sodium vegetable stock
- 15 ml fresh lemon juice
- 3 g fine salt
- 1 g ground black pepper
Equipment
4-liter saucepan or Dutch oven
Potato masher
Instructions
Soften the vegetables
Heat the olive oil in a 4-liter pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until beginning to soften.
Add garlic and rosemary
Stir in the garlic and rosemary for 30 seconds.
Simmer the beans
Add the cannellini beans, vegetable stock, fine salt and ground black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook partly covered for 15 minutes, until the carrots are tender.
Mash a portion for body
Ladle about 250 ml of the soup, including plenty of beans, into a heatproof vessel. Mash the beans with a potato masher, then stir that portion back into the pot.
Finish the soup
Take the pot off the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and divide among four bowls. The soup should remain spoonable, with whole beans and vegetables visible.
Estimated calories 300 kcal
Nutrition portion: 1/4 of recipe · Original yield: 4 servings
Source & assumptions
Ingredient-based estimate using CoFID 2021, identified USDA reference entries and representative product labels. Approximately 300 kcal per original serving; ingredients and preparation affect values.
Recipe notes
When adjusting quantities
Choose a pot with sufficient capacity. Weigh cooked beans after draining; use tenderness and soup texture as endpoints. Browning/softening and simmer times do not scale directly.
Original recipe notes
These notes describe the original recipe. Quantities mentioned here do not change when you adjust servings.
The cooked bean weight is measured after draining. If starting with dried beans, cook them separately beforehand; dried-bean preparation is outside this recipe’s stated time.
Use finely chopped rosemary leaves, with tough stems removed. The masher thickens only a small portion so the soup retains whole beans.
Cool and refrigerate leftovers promptly in shallow containers; use within 3 to 4 days and reheat to 74°C (165°F). Beans will continue to thicken the liquid, so loosen with a little water when reheating.
Read the scaling guide. Times, temperatures and equipment need their own consideration. Open the recipe tool to review and correct individual amounts.
Recipe details
- Cuisine
- Other / International
- Dietary
- Vegan
- Cooking method
- Stovetop
- Main ingredient
- Beans / legumes
- Browse category
- Main Dishes
Dietary labels describe this recipe as written. Check product labels and any substitutions for your needs.