White Bean and Parmesan Soup (Printable Version)

Creamy cannellini bean soup with Parmesan, aromatic vegetables, and Italian-inspired comfort in every spoonful.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
04 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Beans & Liquid

06 - 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
07 - 4 cups vegetable stock
08 - 1 bay leaf

→ Dairy & Seasoning

09 - 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
10 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
11 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 - 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
13 - 1/2 cup heavy cream

→ Garnish

14 - Chopped fresh parsley

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté for 6–8 minutes until vegetables are softened.
02 - Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add the drained beans, vegetable stock, bay leaf, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
04 - Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes.
05 - Remove the bay leaf. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth and creamy, or transfer in batches to a blender.
06 - Stir in the Parmesan cheese and heavy cream. Heat gently until cheese is melted and soup is heated through. Adjust seasoning as needed.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls. Top with extra Parmesan and chopped parsley. Serve hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour but tastes like you've been stirring it all day.
  • The Parmesan doesn't just hide in there—it actually makes the whole thing taste like comfort.
  • You can make it vegan, add cream for richness, or keep it simple; it adapts to whatever you need.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the canned beans because the starchy liquid makes the soup cloudy and chalky instead of silky.
  • The immersion blender makes all the difference—hand blending gives you lumps and a workout, but pureeing creates that restaurant-quality texture you're actually after.
  • Add the Parmesan off the heat or on very low heat because high heat can make it separate and get grainy instead of melting into the soup.
03 -
  • Freshly grated Parmesan melts into the soup and disappears into creaminess, while pre-grated gets grainy and sits in little specks.
  • Don't let the soup boil hard after you add the cream and cheese because high heat can cause separation—gentle heat is your friend here.
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