Made primarily with simple pantry staples, this Easy Rosemary and White Bean Soup is hearty and full of flavor. This 30 minute meal is deliciously satisfying and could not be easier to make!
As far as soups go, this one is as easy as it comes. Requiring only 5 minutes of simple prep, this delicious white bean soup simmers together to create a creamy, hearty meal that is delicious and ready in just half an hour.
Though the ingredients are simple, they aren’t boring. They come together to create something flavorful. A perfect mix of earthy flavor from the cannellini beans, herbiness from fresh Rosemary, and a good squeeze of lemon juice for some brightness. Enjoy this soup as is or check out my “Variations of this soup” in the post below for some fun twists on this recipe.
I highly recommend serving this bean soup with a big hunk of crusty bread for dipping. You will want to sop up every last drop.
Why we love this recipe
- It’s delicious! This dish is earthy, herby, and downright tasty.
- This white bean soup is made primarily with pantry staples so it is easy to throw together at the last minute.
- It is so quick to make this soup. Just 5 minutes of hands-on time are needed and dinner is ready in just half an hour!
- You can feed your family a hearty meal without breaking the bank!
- You can easily change things up to suit your own tastes. See my “Variations of this soup” section for some ideas.
Ingredients in Easy Rosemary White Bean Soup
- Olive oil: to saute the onions and garlic.
- Onion and garlic: These simple ingredients help add more flavor to the soup.
- Cannellini beans: 3 cans of beans, rinsed and drained. Canned cannellini beans or white kidney beans are the base of this soup. I use canned beans so that this recipe cooks quickly. If you wish, you can substitute a different canned white bean like great northern beans or navy beans.
- Rosemary: 1 fresh sprig or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary.
- Other herbs and seasonings: bay leaf, salt and pepper.
- Broth: chicken or vegetable broth can be used.
- Lemon juice: freshly squeezed lemon juice adds some brightness to this soup. I start with about 2 tablespoons and then serve sliced lemon with the soup so everyone can add as much as they desire.
**Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.**
How to make Rosemary White Bean Soup
- Saute the onions and garlic. In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and add the onions. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until they begin to soften and turn translucent. Then add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Simmer the soup. Add the canned cannellini beans, the rosemary, the bay leaf, and the broth to the soup pot and increase the heat to high to bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium, cover the pot, and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Puree the soup if desired. Remove the bay leaf and rosemary sprig. Use an immersion blender to blend about half of the beans to thicken the soup. If desired, you can puree the entire soup or omit this step altogether for a brothy soup. [Note: If you do not have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender or a food processor. I recommend cooling your soup before using a regular blender or food processor.]
- Season and serve. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper, as needed. Stir in the fresh lemon juice. Serve.
Variations of this soup
While we love this simple rosemary white bean soup as is, it also serves as a good base recipe for you to add more flavors too. Some options include:
- Make it cheesy: Add Parmesan or grated cheese to the soup to add more flavor.
- Add meat: ham and bacon are a great way to add more flavor to this bean soup. Mini meatballs are also a fun option.
- Make it a bean and vegetable soup. Carrots, celery, spinach, or kale all make nice additions to this soup.
What to serve with this bean soup
I highly recommend serving this soup with a big hunk of crusty bread to sop up all that creamy goodness. Alternatively, croutons make a fun topping that adds some crunch to this creamy soup.
While the soup is naturally vegan (provided you use vegetable broth and not chicken broth), if you are not necessarily aiming to eat a vegan meal, you can also serve up the soup with some Parmesan cheese for added flavor.
Looking for more bean soup recipes? You may also like:
Fasolada (Greek White Bean Soup) Recipe
Greek Chickpea Soup (Revithosoupa)
Chickpea Noodle Soup
Ditali Chickpea and Vegetable Soup
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Easy Rosemary White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cans cannellini beans rinsed and drained
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed, + more for serving
- salt and black pepper to taste*
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and add the onions. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until they begin to soften and turn translucent. Then add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the canned cannellini beans, the rosemary, the bay leaf, and the broth to the soup pot and increase the heat to high to bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium, cover the pot, and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf and rosemary sprig. Use an immersion blender to blend about half of the beans to thicken the soup. If desired, you can puree the entire soup or omit this step altogether for a brothy soup. [Note: If you do not have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender or a food processor. I recommend cooling your soup before using a regular blender or food processor.]
- Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper, as needed. Stir in the fresh lemon juice. Serve with sliced lemon so more can be added, if desired.
Notes
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
Can thus be made in a slow cooker and, if so, how long should it cook
I don’t see a reason you couldn’t make it in the slow cooker but I have not tried it and couldn’t say.