"No Cream" Creamy White Bean Soup

This quick and easy, "No-Cream" Creamy White Bean soup is absolutely delicious and super easy to make! The ingredients are simple, but the flavor is quite interesting! I like to serve this white winter soup with warm bread and and a steamed artichoke!

I'm always on the lookout for quick and relatively healthy meals, so when I came across this quick and easy creamy white bean soup recipe in Cook's Illustrated, I took notice. I slightly adapted their recipe by using less chicken broth and replacing dried herbs for fresh.

Of course, you can use fresh herbs in this recipe, just keep in mind that dried herbs are stronger than fresh. If you use fresh herbs, you'll want to use three times the amount of dried herbs and add them at the end.

Also note, this "cream" soup contains no cream. The creaminess of the soup is not a dairy product, but pureed canned Great Northern beans. "What?" you say? Canned beans? Yuck! Well, I thought the same thing until I made this.

You'll love this recipe!

• Quick and easy - use canned beans; ready in 25-minutes!
• Healthy - contains no cream
• Hearty and filling - full of vitamins, nutrients and fiber

Recipe overview

Saute onion and celery: cook the beans with their liquid, then puree them into a smooth, silky consistency, incorporate some herbs and seasonings and top with roasted capers, parsley, basil and a drizzle of lemon and olive oil!

The lemon and capers offer a distinct flavor to this soup, as does the olive oil - you use the same oil you cooked the capers in--so the flavor profile is savory, yet a bit tangy, and the pinch of cayenne pepper really rounds out the flavor!

I strongly encourage you not to eliminate these ingredients--they really add the "wow" factor to this soup.

Here's what you'll need:

Sometimes, the simple things in life are best, like the ingredients for this recipe! Here's what you need:

• 2 - 15 oz. cans of organic Great Northern White Beans
• 1 ½ cups of chicken broth, capers, extra virgin olive oil
• Butter, Parmesan cheese
• Onion, celery, garlic, thyme, parsley, lemon
• Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper

*Vegan version: substitute chicken broth with vegetable broth; eliminate butter and Parmesan cheese

How to make it:

There's very little prep for this bowl of deliciousness! First, microwave the capers in a high quality extra virgin olive oil for 5 minutes. Drain capers on paper towel; reserve oil; set aside

Chop onion, celery and garlic

Sauté vegetables in olive oil

Add beans and their liquid; cook 8 minutes; transfer mixture to food processor

If your food processor is small, work in batches; pulse until smooth

Add butter and Parmesan to food processor; pulse and return soup to stockpot; add chicken broth

Pour soup into bowl and garnish with toasted capers, lemon, basil, parsley and a drizzle of olive oil

What's the difference between Cannellini and Great White Northern Beans?

While both varieties of legumes share similar nutritional profiles, their differences lie primarily in texture and flavor. Cannellini, also known as white kidney beans or Italian beans, are larger, softer and have an inherent nutty flavor.

Great Northern beans are smaller with a grainy texture, and their flavor depends upon what other ingredients they're cooked in...much like mushrooms and tofu.

These two white bean varieties are often used interchangeably and yes, you can use Cannellini beans in this recipe!

How to make the soup extra creamy

There are two things you must do to ensure an extra creamy texture for this white bean soup. First, soften the beans by cooking them on the stovetop for about 8 minutes.

Then, transfer them to a blender or food processor using a slotted ladle or strainer for further refining. If your blender or food processor is small, you may have to work in batches.

Unfortunately, a hand held emulsifier doesn't work as well as the two combined-methods above.

How to thicken no cream white bean soup:

If you prefer a thicker version, use a cornstarch slurry.

Get a one-cup measuring cup and put 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in it. Then, fill it up with water to the 1-cup mark; combine well

Turn the heat up on the soup and drizzle in the slurry, stirring constantly; once soup begins to boil, stir for about 30-seconds, then remove the pan from the heat.

The soup will continue to thicken upon resting about 5-minutes prior to serving.

Topping variations:

Great Northern White beans are the perfect "blank canvas" for a variety of flavorful toppings! This version uses toasted capers, lemon, parsley and basil, but feel free to experiment with toppings on your homemade white bean soup!

• Sauteed leeks and fried sage
• Chopped tomatoes and bacon
• Rosemary, pesto and pine nuts

Related recipes:

• Texas Chili
• Lentil Soup
• Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup
• How to Fix Over Salted Soups and Stews

If you make this soup, please leave a comment and rating below! I love to hear from you!

"No-Cream" Creamy White Bean Soup

Savory, silky white bean soup with accents of onion, celery, cayenne, lemon and capers

5 from 4 votes

Print Rate

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American, International

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Total Yield: 5 cups

Author: Anecia Hero

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• Blender or food processor
• Strainer, colander or slotted spoon

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

Topping Ingredients

• 3.5 ounces capers drained; (this is one little jar of capers; a little over ¼ cup)
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

Soup

• 30 ounces cans of Great Northern White Beans do not pour off liquid
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1½ cups chicken broth or stock
• ½ cup yellow onion chopped
• 1 stalk celery chopped
• 2 cloves garlic sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley garnish
• ½ tablespoon dried basil garnish
• salt and pepper to taste , for best results, use white ground vs black ground pepper

Instructions 

Make the Topping

• In a microwave bowl, add ⅓ cup olive oil and ¼ drained capers; cook on high for 4 minutes; use a slotted spoon and remove cooked capers; drain capers onto paper towel; reserve oil

Make the Soup

• In a large stockpot on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons oil; add chopped onion and celery; saute for 5 minutes
• Add garlic, thyme and cayenne pepper to onion mixture; combine well
• Add canned beans with their liquid to stockpot; cook on medium heat until beans begin to break up (about 8-10 minutes)
• Using a slotted spoon, ladle bean mixture into food processor; pulse on high for 2 minutes: (See Recipe Notes: Food Processor)
• Add butter and parmesan to food processor; pulse on high for 2 minutes
• Add 1 cup of chicken broth to food processor; pulse on high for 2 minutes
• Pour contents from the food processor back into large stockpot
• Add remaining ½ cup of chicken broth and one teaspoon of lemon juice; stir and cook on medium until hot; taste for salt and pepper
• Pour soup into bowls; drizzle each bowl with a few drops of fresh lemon juice and the olive oil from the capers
• Sprinkle chopped parsley, basil and capers over top of soup and serve

Notes

Food Processor vs Immersion Blender:

If you have a small food processor, you may have to work in batches. Use a slotted spoon to ladle the bean mixture in the processor, or, use a colander and drain the bean mixture, reserving the liquid 

If you don't have a food processor, at this point, remove the bean mixture from the heat and use an immersion blender. Once blended, continue with recipe.

I've found the immersion blender is more difficult to use because of the low level of bean mixture - a food processor works best.

Vegetarian Option:

Substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth; eliminate Parmesan cheese and butter

Want it thicker?

In a one-cup measuring cup, add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and fill cup with water; combine well and drizzle into hot soup; bring to boil for 1 minute, remove from heat and allow soup to rest 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Estimate

Serving: 1cupCalories: 437kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 14gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 570mgPotassium: 858mgFiber: 9gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 205IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 175mgIron: 6mg

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