Here’s a simple, hearty Smokey White Bean Soup you can make in your Instant Pot or on the stovetop using dry beans. Smoked paprika and optional Harissa paste give it a delicious flavor that will have you coming back for seconds. Low in calories, high in fiber, this soup is vegan and gluten-free. Video.
Do not try to save the world or do anything grandiose. Instead, create a clearing in the dense forest of your life and wait there patiently, until the song that is your life falls into your own cupped hands and you recognize and greet it. Only then, will you know how to give yourself to this world so worthy of rescue.- Martha Postlewaite
Many of you have been asking for more recipes using dry beans that you have in your pantry. Here is a hearty, rustic Smoky Tomato & White Bean Soup recipe that is full of flavor and comes together very easily. You can make this in your Instant Pot or on your stovetop. This is one of those soups that you’ll actually look forward to the leftovers and the soup freezes well for later use.
What I love about this soup is how healthy and nourishing it is. It feels hearty and satisfying without being too heavy. The leftovers get even better as the flavors have a chance to meld.
Plus it always feels good to use up pantry ingredients- doesn’t it? I tend to overstuff our pantry, so I try to make at least one pantry meal a week.
White Bean Soup Recipe Ingredients
- Onion and garlic
- Veggies: carrots, celery, canned tomatoes and roasted peppers ( or a fresh red bell pepper).
- Dry white beans (soaked) or canned white beans
- Spices
- Thyme
- veggie broth
- optional: kale or spinach
Today I’m using these lovely heirloom Cannelini Beans but please- use what you have- just make sure to soak them first.
How to Make Tomato White Bean Soup
You can cook this in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop. If using dry beans, soak them first!
1. Start with sautéing the onions in a little olive oil.
2. Add the celery and carrots, and the thyme.
3.Dice a jar of roasted peppers. You could easily substitute a fresh red bell pepper.
4. Add these peppers along with the canned diced tomatoes to the pot.
5. Add the soaked white beans and the broth. One pound of soaked white beans will roughly translate to 4 1/2 to 5 cups. I love how big and creamy these cannellini beans are.
Tip: You could “beef this up” by adding a couple of whole boneless chicken thighs (and shred after) – or keep it totally meatless- I promise you really will not miss the meat here, friends.
Today I’m just using water and this organic veggie bouillon, which gives really good flavor to soups and stews.
6. Season. Add the smoked paprika. Stir in the salt, spices and bay leaves.
7. If cooking soaked beans in the Instant Pot, set it to 12-15 minutes on high pressure. Let it naturally release for 5 minutes before manually releasing the pressure. At this point, you could stir in some chopped kale or spinach to bump up the nutrients.
8. While the white bean soup is cooking, make the optional Harissa Oil. Swirl together harissa paste and olive oil to drizzle over the soup. Now, this is optional but pretty tasty. You can also use a drizzle of olive oil.
How to Serve White Bean Soup Recipe
Serve the soup with some fresh flat-leaf parsley, black pepper or Aleppo chili flakes and harissa oil. Fresh-baked crusty bread or baguette is nice here, too, to mop up all the flavor. Or make our sourdough croutons – always nice to have on hand for soups and stews!
How to Store White Bean Tomato Soup
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop. Freeze for up to 3 months.
White Bean Tomato Soup FAQs
Cannellini beans are large white kidney beans, popular in Italy, also called fasolia beans.
Yes, you can make this recipe in a slow cooker, but I would soak the beans first, for even cooking. Cook covered on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
More Favorite White Bean Recipes
- Tuscan Cannellini Bean Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken and White Bean Soup
- Ribollita! (Tuscan White Bean Soup)
- How to Make Authentic Harissa Paste in Two Easy Ways!
- Pumpkin Soup with Leeks and White beans
- Brothy Tortellini Soup w/ Spinach, White Beans & Basil
- Ribollita! (Tuscan White Bean Soup)
White Bean Soup Video
Tomato White Bean Soup Recipe
- Prep Time: 25
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 cups
- Category: soup, stew, vegan, beans
- Method: Instant pot
- Cuisine: North African
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Smoky Tomato White Bean Soup made with dry beans in an instant pot or on the stovetop. Vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry white beans, soaked 8-12 hours ( 2 cups dry) or sub 3 x 14-ounce cans, drained
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 1 1/2 cup carrots, chopped
- 2 cups celery chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1/4 cup white wine (or skip it)
- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, with juices (or 1 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped)
- 1 cup roasted bell pepper, chopped (from a jar is OK or use a fresh bell pepper)
- 6 cups veggie broth or chicken stock ( or sub water and 2 teaspoons veggie bullion)
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or AC vinegar
Garnish: Harissa Oil or olive oil, fresh flat-leaf parsley, crusty bread.
Optional Harissa Oil:
- 1 tablespoon harissa paste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Soak the cannellini beans in 3 times the water for 8-12 hours.
- Set Instant Pot to Saute function. (See notes for stovetop version)
- Heat oil and saute onions 5 minutes. Add garlic, stir for 2 minutes.
- Add carrots, celery and thyme, give a good stir. Deglaze with wine and scrape up any brown bits.
- Add tomatoes, roasted peppers, drained white beans, broth or stock, salt, smoked paprika, cumin, pepper, cayenne and bay leaves. Give a good stir.
- Set the Instant pot to High Pressure for 12 minutes.( If using canned beans, pressure cook 6 minutes.)
- Manually Release after 5 minutes.
- Stir in the lemon juice.
Serve with a drizzle of Harissa Oil, or a drizzle of olive oil, fresh flat-leaf parsley, pepper and crusty bread. This Roasted Garlic Olive bread is especially nice here.
Notes
Optional Harissa oil: whisk 1 tablespoon Harissa paste with 3 tablespoons olive oil in a small bowl.
Meat-eaters- add a 1/4 cup Spanish-style chorizo ( finely chopped) to add smoky flavor.
3 x 14-ounce cans of white beans is roughly 4 1/2 cups of cooked white beans.
Stovetop Version:
- Heat oil over medium-high heat, in a dutch oven, and saute onions 5 minutes. Lower heat to medium, add garlic, stir for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add carrots, celery and thyme, give a good stir, cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze with wine and scrape up any brown bits.
- Add tomatoes and their juices, roasted peppers, broth or stock, soaked beans, salt, smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, pepper and bay leaves. Give a good stir.
- Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer gently on low or medium-low until the beans are tender roughly 20 -25 minutes (depending on what size beans you use). Uncover and cook off some of the liquid if need be.
- Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
- Calories: 252
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 881.6 mg
- Fat: 8.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 36.7 g
- Fiber: 10.3 g
- Protein: 9.6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
I expected this soup to be a bit heavier. I made it in an instant pot using canned cannellini beans, canned tomatoes, jarred red peppers (which I love). I added the harissa oil to my serving (hubby a bit skeptical). Served with focaccia. We both enjoyed it a lot. Since it was a bit light, this is not just a winter soup. (Note: I follow a plant-based diet and am always looking for delicious recipes that suit my dietary preferences. My husband’s diet is more flexible but he prefers to follow my lead—until I’m eating tofu😉). This will go on our mutual favourites list.
Great to hear Laurie! Really appreciate your review!
Though I read all your recipes with great interest, I’ve been too intimidated to try them. But I figured soup in an instant pot I can do! And as I got into the recipe, it came together quite easily! I love recipes using dry beans (economical and always tastier) and the instant pot. I couldn’t find harissa paste so I just added chopped parsley, red pepper flakes, and squeezes of lemon juice. It’s delicious and I’m glad to have leftovers. I halved the recipe and made it in my 3qt instant pot. Oh I also quick blended a little bit of the soup (with a stick blender) to make it creamier. Thank you for this perfect winter recipe. I’m now looking with great interest and more confidence at your instant pot risotto and polenta. (p.s. My favorite thing about your recipes is that you always offer vegan options, which I appreciate being lactose intolerant and vegetarian.)
So glad you gave it a try Arj! Thanks for circling back and letting us know, super helpful.:)
This recipe has so much flavor without being too spicy. I used fire roasted diced tomatoes instead of roasted red peppers. I made this with dried beans, and I always cook the beans separately and drain before proceeding — I find that adding tomatoes can “stop” the cooking process for dried beans, and I hate it when they are under cooked.
Thanks for the tip Barbara! Glad you enjoyed.
Hi There,
Hi Kat, like most blogs, we have an automated spam filter set on our site that will removes spamy reviews. We also won’t post reviews that are not helpful to the reader, or contain profanity, hate or intolerance.
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This was absolutely delicious. I used canned navy beans because it’s all I had and they worked out just fine. A little Parmesan cheese was the perfect accompaniment.
Great to hear Geoff!
This soup is so good, very hearty. I made it with alubia blanca beans from Rancho Gordo. I got them as a gift & wanted to try them. I soaked them for 5 hrs & used the Instant Pot method. It turned out wonderful. Even impressed family who are not big fans of beans. Thanks! 🙂
Sounds super tasty Mary!
The soup was really tasty. It was just delicious. I didn’t even use the harissa paste. Definitely no ordinary vegetable soup. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
Thanks Lynda- glad you liked it!
Delicious soup. I used navy beans since that’s what I already had and made it in the instant pot. Also, added some fresh spinach. Thank you!
Glad it worked out!