Ultra-Creamy White Bean Tomato Soup Recipe
Creamy soups are so comforting, like a warm blanket enveloping your taste buds and tummy. They can also be a bit on the decadent side and become heavy with the addition of too many rich ingredients. And although I love a tangy bowl of tomato soup paired with a grilled cheese, I prefer the soup to have another dimension that cuts the sharpness and elevates the texture. This ultra-creamy white bean tomato soup tastes and feels luxurious, and uses canned white beans to fill in for much of the dairy. To start the soup, we blister fresh, ripe cherry tomatoes in garlic-infused oil, then we cook them down with the beans, vegetable stock, herbs, and a Parmesan rind for extra flavor. The soup is pureed until perfectly smooth and velvety, then enhanced with a bit of cream and freshly grated Parmesan, which melts in seamlessly. With the added protein from the beans, this soup is a satisfying meal in itself.
Using canned beans saves the steps of soaking and cooking, and you know that you have a super tender bean from the start. This is also a great soup to make ahead of time, as the flavors improve as the soup sits in your refrigerator. It is perfect for a casual weeknight dinner, but elegant enough to be the first course of a fancy party with guests.
Gather the ultra-creamy white bean tomato soup ingredients
To make this ultra-creamy white bean tomato soup, you will start by preparing a garlic oil by cooking thinly sliced garlic cloves in olive oil. The resulting garlic crisps are reserved and used as a garnish for your finished soup. You will need about 2 pounds of ripe, colorful cherry tomatoes as the base of your soup. Shallots, bay leaf, a Parmesan rind, and fresh sprigs of thyme add flavor, and tomato paste enhances the depth of the tomato profile. Vegetable stock is your go-to liquid for cooking the soup ingredients. Canned white cannellini beans are my bean of choice for creating the creamiest texture to this soup. You could also try swapping in Great Northern or navy beans in canned form. Just be sure to give a good rinse to your bean selection. Once your soup base has been pureed, you will need some heavy cream, freshly grated Parmesan (saved from the rind), sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper for seasoning, and a touch of sherry vinegar for a boost of bright acidity. You will garnish your soup with a bit more of the grated cheese, the crispy garlic chips, and fresh thyme leaves.
Step 1: Heat the olive oil and garlic slices
Add the olive oil and sliced garlic to a Dutch oven or other heavy pot.
Step 2: Cook the garlic until golden
Cook the garlic over medium-low heat until the slices are a pale golden color (about 5 minutes).
Step 3: Transfer the garlic chips to a plate
Turn off the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic chips to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve the chips.
Step 4: Add the cherry tomatoes to the pot
Increase the heat to medium and add the cherry tomatoes to the garlic-infused oil.
Step 5: Cook the tomatoes until blistered
Let the tomatoes cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes without stirring, or until the skins start to blister.
Step 6: Turn the tomatoes and continue to cook
Carefully turn the tomatoes and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes until they release their juices.
Step 7: Add the shallots
Add the diced shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened (about 5 minutes).
Step 8: Stir in the tomato paste
Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste turns a deep orange color and smells caramelized (about 5 minutes).
Step 9: Stir in the vegetable stock
Pour in the vegetable stock and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Step 10: Add the beans, herbs, and rind
Add the beans, rind, 5 sprigs of thyme, and bay leaf, stirring well to combine.
Step 11: Cover and simmer
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 12: Remove the rind, thyme stems, and bay leaf
Remove the cover, turn off the heat, and use a slotted spoon to remove the rind, thyme stems, and bay leaf. Discard and allow the soup to cool slightly.
Step 13: Process the soup in a blender
Transfer the soup to a high-speed blender in 2 batches and puree until completely smooth.
Step 14: Return the soup to the pot
Return the pureed soup to the Dutch oven over low heat.
Step 15: Whisk in the grated cheese, cream, vinegar, pepper, and salt.
Whisk in the grated cheese, heavy cream, sherry vinegar, pepper, and salt. Stir frequently until the soup is hot.
Step 16: Garnish and serve the soup
Serve the soup in warmed bowls topped with a sprinkle of the remaining cheese, a few leaves of thyme from the remaining sprig, and the reserved garlic chips.
What can I serve with white bean tomato soup?
Ultra-Creamy White Bean Tomato Soup Recipe
Fresh, ripe cherry tomatoes in garlic-infused oil, cooked with hearty white beans and a touch of cream, are pureed into a perfectly smooth and velvety soup.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 6 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 pounds ripe cherry tomatoes
- 2 medium shallots, diced
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (3-inch) Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
- 6 large sprigs fresh thyme, divided
- 1 large bay leaf
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (saved from rind), divided
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Directions
- Add the olive oil and sliced garlic to a Dutch oven or other heavy pot.
- Cook the garlic over medium-low heat until the slices are a pale golden color (about 5 minutes).
- Turn off the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic chips to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve the chips.
- Increase the heat to medium and add the cherry tomatoes to the garlic-infused oil.
- Let the tomatoes cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes without stirring, or until the skins start to blister.
- Carefully turn the tomatoes and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes until they release their juices.
- Add the diced shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened (about 5 minutes).
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste turns a deep orange color and smells caramelized (about 5 minutes).
- Pour in the vegetable stock and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the beans, rind, 5 sprigs of thyme, and bay leaf, stirring well to combine.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove the cover, turn off the heat, and use a slotted spoon to remove the rind, thyme stems, and bay leaf. Discard and allow the soup to cool slightly.
- Transfer the soup to a high-speed blender in 2 batches and puree until completely smooth.
- Return the pureed soup to the Dutch oven over low heat.
- Whisk in the grated cheese, heavy cream, sherry vinegar, pepper, and salt. Stir frequently until the soup is hot.
- Serve the soup in warmed bowls topped with a sprinkle of the remaining cheese, a few leaves of thyme from the remaining sprig, and the reserved garlic chips.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 699 |
| Total Fat | 34.4 g |
| Saturated Fat | 14.2 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.4 g |
| Cholesterol | 57.4 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 68.8 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 15.8 g |
| Total Sugars | 12.1 g |
| Sodium | 1,798.1 mg |
| Protein | 33.2 g |
Can this soup be frozen? What is the best method for reheating leftovers?
This white bean and tomato soup is actually great for freezing, unlike a lot of creamy dairy-based soups. While soups like cream of chicken or cream of mushroom get their velvety texture from milk or cream, the reliance on beans in this ultra-creamy white bean tomato soup helps to keep the structure after thawing without major alterations in the texture caused by the separation of components. The acidity of the tomatoes combined with onion and vinegar elements keeps the soup tasting bright and fresh, with plenty of flavor coming from the herbs and nutty cheese, as well.
After experimenting with freezing a portion of this soup recipe, I found that a 24-hour thaw in the refrigerator followed by gentle reheating over low heat on the stove easily brought the soup back to life. Reheating in a pot on the stove rather than using a microwave allows you to whisk the soup back to its creamiest state while taking care not to overheat or scorch the ingredients. You can make fresh garnishes for serving, and the soup will taste like you just slaved over the stove.
When storing leftovers that you don't plan to freeze, this soup will keep well for about 5 days in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Just don't refurbish soup that has been heated up more than once. This can increase the likelihood of bacteria forming, and the soup might develop off-flavors.
Are there other varieties of tomatoes that would work well in this ultra-creamy white bean tomato soup recipe?
Clearly, the key to a delicious tomato soup lies in the tomatoes themselves. There is nothing like fresh vine-ripened and juicy gems for giving your soup the best flavor and texture. I chose cherry tomatoes for this recipe because of the concentration of sweet flavor that hides behind their fragile skins. They also cook down nicely and are quite easy to process. The best cherry tomatoes are those that are still attached to their vines, indicating that they will continue to ripen and are less prone to dehydration.
Another outstanding tomato varietal for soup making is the famed San Marzano, which hails from the coastal regions of southern Italy. This revered tomato is at the heart of Italian marinara sauce and Margherita pizzas, but fresh San Marzanos are a bit hard to come by in US markets. Luckily, there are plenty of imported canned products available, and although nothing is as good as a fresh tomato, whole canned San Marzanos are still pretty delicious.