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Crockpot Tuscan White Bean and Lemon Soup. Because it’s still very much winter.
Listen, I know the month of March is nearing fast, and that some of you may have Spring on the mind, but let’s just be real, it’s still very cold outside.
Or at least, it’s cold here in Colorado, with blustery winds and snow. More wind than snow, but just very cold. I hate to talk about weather, but I mean, come on, is anyone else having similar weather?
I’m putting an emphasis on the weather because I’ve been spending a lot of time outside milking the goats, collecting chicken eggs, supplying both the chickens and goats with food and water, walking the dog, walking the dog some more…because he’s a puppy and his energy level is too much.
All in the wind. And the cold. And the blowing snow.
Totally making it sound way worse than it is, but I think you get the point.
Cold temps, wind, and snow all mean one thing….cozy food. Soups, pastas, and basically anything warm all work. Enter this white bean soup. It’s cozy, yet still light enough to serve as a healthy dinner and fresh enough to transition us all the way into spring…plus it’s easy. Basically, the all around perfect tuscan white bean soup!
Here’s how this recipe works. Throw everything into your crockpot, set the time, and leave. Just before serving, stir in some kale and dinner is done.
So simple, so easy, so so super good, and you know, pretty healthy too.
Question: do you say crockpot or slow cooker…I like the word crockpot, but I’m super curious to know what you guys say?
Traditionally in a Tuscan style soup, there will be some kind of meat, most of the time pork. I wanted to keep this soup mostly loaded with veggies, so to give the broth added flavor, I threw in a parmesan rind. I promise, this is the key to this recipe. The rind adds so much flavor without having to add in a million other ingredients. A little tip, when working with fresh parmesan cheese wedges, save the rinds and freeze them. Then use them to make extra flavorful tomato sauces, soups, and stocks.
I also flavored the soup with basil pesto and plenty of fresh lemon juice to highlight the flavors of the parmesan and give the soup a light, fresh flavor.
To keep the recipe simple and easy, I used my favorite pantry staple, canned cannellini beans. But if you wanted to make the soup with dried beans, just soak about one or two cups of white beans overnight in water or chicken broth, then drain, and add to the crockpot with all the other ingredients. You could also use navy beans, great northern beans, or white kidney beans.
Oh, and for added protein…ok and carbs, I also added quinoa. Hey, gotta get those healthy carbs in.
I made this soup before I left for South Korea, but ended up freezing it in an airtight container, since no one was going to be home to eat it. Upon returning, I realized what a great idea it is to have frozen soups on hand. It makes for such easy lunches and dinners. Plus, I’m the only one around here who likes white beans, so having this particular soup on hand is working out pretty nicely.
Just one thing? Be sure to serve the soup topped with plenty of fresh shaved parmesan and a hunk of crusty bread. It’s truly the only way to enjoy this bowl of soup.
And maybe a glass of wine, if that’s your thing…
Crockpot Tuscan White Bean and Lemon Soup
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 1232 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken or veggie stock
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 small sweet onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1/4 cup basil pesto
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 sage leaves
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 parmesan rind
- 3 tablespoons lemons juice + 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 cups roughly torn Tuscan kale
- 2 cans (14 ounces) cans cannelloni beans, drained
- grated parmesan, for serving
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, combine the chicken stock, quinoa, onion, carrots, pesto, red pepper flakes, sage, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add the parmesan rind. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours. 2. About 30 minutes before serving, stir in the lemon juice and zest, kale, and beans. 3. Divide the soup among bowls and top with parmesan. Serve with a hunk of bread.
Warming soup…with cheese and bread. My kind of Monday night.
This post was originally published on February 19, 2018
I was so excited to try this tonight, and then my crockpot literally just died 10 minutes into hitting start on it. Do you have a recommendation for cooking this on stovetop or instant pot – so that the quinoa cooks correctly – and carrots and other textures turn out right? Thanks!
Hey Erica,
Ohh no, so sorry to hear this!! I would simmer on the stove top for 1 hour. I hope this turns out okay for you!
This was so good!
I subbed ditalini noodles for quinoa and didn’t have sage leaves so I used bay leaves. So yummy and light!
I love all your recipes!
Hey Jaime,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I’m so glad it was a hit. Have the best week!
It says White bean and Lentil, but there are no lentils listed in the ingredients nor directions?
Hi Elizabeth,
It’s white bean and lemon, not lentil:) Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Hi if I wanted to add chicken could I add it in one round without a problem?
Hey Cristy,
Sure, chicken would be a great addition to this soup! I hope you love this recipe!
Is the bean ingredient misspelled? Do you mean cannellini beans?
Hi Kathy,
Yes, that is correct. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Can you shorten the time and make it I no the install (realizing that the flavors will need time to meld)
Make it in the insta pot (that was missing)
Can you make it in the instapot?
Hi Victoria,
Sure, that should work nicely for you! I haven’t tested this, so I am not sure the exact time. I hope you love this recipe! xx
Is this actually 1232 calories per serving? That seems like a what for what feels like a very healthy soup
Hey Jess,
That might be for the whole pot:) I always recommend that if the nutritional information is important to you, you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT
Can you do this in a pot on a stovetop?Thanks!
Hi Jacquie,
Totally, that will work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
If cooking on stovetop, is the cooktime the same? Just on a low simmer for four hours? Thanks!
Hi Jake,
I would say 2-3 hours is plenty on the stove top:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
This is one of my favorite soups! It has such a unique flavor profile.
One note is the kcal estimate on the recipe is waaaay off. I used Better than Boullion for my stock and it came out to about 259 calories per serving. Regular stock would probably increase it but not by much.
Happy eating!
Hey Cora! I”m sorry about that, sometimes our calorie count is a bit off! xT
Getting ready to purchase ingredients for this soup.
How much on the parm rinds, inches, ounces? Never used them before!
Hi there! It just depends on the size of the block of parmesan you have! xT
We have made this soup several times, it is a HUGE hit! We remove the casing from Italian sausage and chop it into rounds and add that in on step one and round potatoes and add them to it as well. Everything else we keep the same, uhhh-mazing!
Hi Tiffany,
Happy Friday!!🥑🍑 I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it and sharing your review! xT