Tuscan Soup: A comforting mix of bacon, Italian sausage, garlic, cannellini beans, and cream. Top with Parmesan and parsley. Perfect for cozy nights or dinner parties.
Creamy Tuscan Soup With White Beans
This creamy soup starts with savory bacon, then adds sautéed onions and carrots for extra flavor. Garlic and Italian seasoning bring a Tuscan touch, while white cannellini beans add creaminess and protein. Spinach adds freshness and color.
The recipe is easy to make and adaptable—choose mild or hot Italian sausage to suit your taste. Serve with crusty, buttered bread for a comforting meal you’ll love.
Tuscan Soup Recipe Tips
- Use high-quality ingredients like fresh vegetables, good broth, marbled sausage, and quality canned beans for better flavor.
- Cook the soup in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven for even heat distribution.
- Sauté vegetables thoroughly before adding them to the soup in order to enhance their flavor and sweetness. Dice carrots and onions small enough to cook evenly.
- Season generously with salt, tasting as you go to balance the flavors.
- Simmer the soup for the full time to meld and intensify the flavors.
- Add a splash of vinegar or lemon juice for a bright, balanced taste.
Italian Sausage
Remove casings from link sausage before adding it to the pot. For bulk sausage, no casing is needed.
Choose mild or hot sausage to adjust the heat. For varied spice preferences, use mild sausage and serve red pepper flakes on the side.
Sun-dried Tomatoes
Use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil and herbs for extra flavor. Avoid dried tomatoes in packets. The oil from the jar adds flavor to the soup and is used to sauté the bacon.
How To Make Tuscan Soup
- Cook Bacon: First, heat oil in a pot and cook bacon until crisp. Set aside, leaving grease in the pot.
- Sauté: Next, cook onion and carrots, then add and brown Italian sausage. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Then, mix in flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Simmer: After that, add beans and broth, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 10 minutes. Finally, stir in spinach and cream until the spinach wilts.
- Serve: Adjust seasoning, ladle into bowls, top with bacon, and garnish with Parmesan and parsley if desired. Enjoy!
Variations
Change Up Your Tuscan Soup
- Creamy Tuscan Mushroom Soup: Add sliced mushrooms to the soup for a meaty, earthy flavor.
- Replace the spinach with kale; simmering time will be a little longer to soften the kale.
- Make it dairy free by replacing the cream with full-fat coconut milk. (This will result in a slightly sweeter soup.)
- Swap cannellini beans for Great Northern beans or Navy beans.
- To make this soup gluten free, use gluten-free flour instead of white flour, and ensure all other ingredients being used are processed in a gluten-free facility.
- Feel free to reduce the amount of cream in this Tuscan Soup if you prefer a lighter soup. Start by reducing the cream by 1/4 cup and then adjust to taste. Keep in mind that the cream adds richness and creaminess to the soup, so reducing it too much may alter the texture and flavor.
Storage
How To Store Tuscan Soup
- Let the soup cool completely before storing. Transfer it to an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid. Glass jars or plastic containers work well.
- Store the container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Cream-based soups like this one tend to thicken as they cool, so you may need to add a little bit of broth or water when reheating.
- I don’t recommend freezing Tuscan Soup. It contains dairy and spinach which can separate and lose texture upon freezing and thawing.
Tuscan Soup FAQs
1. Cook bacon until crisp. Set aside, keeping grease in pan.
2. Sauté onion and carrots, add Italian sausage and season.
3. Mx in sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning, and flour.
4. Transfer bacon, vegetables, sausage mixture, beans, and broth to slow cooker. Stir.
5. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours.
6. Add spinach and cream in the last 30 minutes.
7. Adjust seasoning, ladle into bowls, top with bacon, and garnish with Parmesan and parsley. Serve.
1. Sauté bacon. Set aside, keeping grease in pot.
2. Sauté onion and carrots, then add Italian sausage and season.
3. Mix in sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning, and flour. Cook 1 minute.
4. Add beans and broth. Stir.
5. Close lid, set valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 8-10 minutes.
6. Release pressure manually.
7. Stir in spinach and cream until wilted.
8. Adjust seasoning, ladle into bowls, top with bacon, and garnish with Parmesan and parsley if desired. Serve.
If making the soup ahead, add spinach and cream just before serving to keep their texture.
What To Serve With Tuscan Soup
- Crusty, buttered bread like this No-Knead Bread or some Life-Changing No-Knead Dinner Rolls
- Green salad like this Italian Salad, Garden Salad, or Olive Garden Salad
- Antipasto platter or a cured meats and cheeses platter (as an appetizer)
- Grilled or roasted vegetables like Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Cauliflower, or Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Garlic bread or homemade Focaccia
More Comforting Soup Recipes:
- Lasagna Soup with a creamy tomato base
- Potato Leek Soup with cream
- Creamy Vegetable Soup with loads of veggies
- Creamy Mushroom Soup Recipe with farro
- Cheeseburger Soup with ground beef
Tuscan Soup
Equipment
- Large cast-iron pot
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil drained and chopped, plus 2 teaspoons oil
- 5 slices bacon 5 ounces
- 1 cup diced yellow onion 1 onion
- 1 cup diced peeled carrots 2 carrots
- 1 pound Italian sausage hot or mild
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic 3 cloves
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (32-ounce) carton chicken broth 4 cups
- 3 cups baby spinach coarsely chopped
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- Serving suggestions see note 1
Instructions
- In a large, cast-iron pot, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar over medium-high heat. Add diced bacon and cook until browned and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving the grease in the pot.
- Add diced onion and carrots to the pot and sauté 3 minutes. Press to the edges. Add Italian sausage to the center and season with salt and pepper (I add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper). Let sausage sear, then break apart and crumble, browning through. Once browned, add sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Mix through. Sprinkle flour on top and mix through, cooking for 1 minute while stirring constantly.
- Add drained beans and chicken broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover with a lid and cook 10 minutes. Remove lid and give the soup a good stir. Add coarsely chopped spinach and heavy cream. Stir until spinach is wilted.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Ladle into bowls and top with reserved bacon. If desired, garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Amazing!!! Restaurant quality!!!
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks Gloria! 🙂
Lunch! It was delish!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Tracey! 🙂
Can you use frozen spinach?
We haven’t tried with frozen spinach but if you don’t mind the taste and consistency of defrosted spinach I think you should be fine!
This stuff is amazing!!!! I’m going to have to double it next time. I used my Ninja stove top/crock pot so it is all one pot without using the stove.
So thrilled to hear this! Thanks Sandy! 🙂
Delicious! Love the way you show the steps in your recipes. Although a seasoned cook I do find they take longer than the time allotted. That is not truly note worthy. The recipes you present I know will work. Thanks!
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks! 🙂