Ina Garten rosemary white bean soup brings easy Tuscan comfort from just nine ingredients. She simmers dried cannellini beans with a whole branch of fresh rosemary, then purees the pot for a cozy, rustic texture. This one-pot family dinner tastes like it took all day.
Salt the soup only after the beans are fully soft, because adding it earlier turns them tough and grainy. Fresh rosemary is non-negotiable here since dried just goes flat in a long simmer.
Source: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (1999)
Ina Garten Rosemary White Bean Soup
Course: SoupCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy6
servings15
minutes1
hour380
kcalA Tuscan-style soup made by simmering dried cannellini beans with a whole rosemary branch and chicken stock, then coarsely pureeing for a creamy bowl with real body.
Ingredients
1 pound dried white cannellini beans
4 cups sliced yellow onions (3 onions)
1/4 cup good olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large branch fresh rosemary (6 to 7 inches)
2 quarts chicken stock
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Soak the beans: In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1 inch and leave them in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. Drain.
- Cook the soup: In a large stockpot over low to medium heat, sauté the onions with the olive oil until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes. Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the beans are very soft.
- Puree and serve: Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf. Pass the soup through the coarsest blade of a food mill, or place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely puréed. Return the soup to the pot to reheat and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
FAQs
Can I use canned beans instead of dried?
You can, but the texture won’t be the same. Canned beans are already soft, so you’ll lose some of the starchy thickness that dried beans give the broth. If you go canned, use three 15-ounce cans, rinse them, and cut the simmer time to about 15 minutes.
How long does this soup keep?
It stores well in the fridge for about 4 days in an airtight container. The soup thickens as it sits, so add a splash of stock or water when you reheat it. It freezes well for up to 3 months too.
Can I make this soup ahead of time?
It’s actually better the next day because the flavors have time to come together. Make it a day ahead, cool it down, and store it in the fridge. Just thin it out with a little stock when you reheat since the beans absorb liquid overnight.
Do I need a food mill to puree this soup?
Not at all. A food processor works just as well, and so does an immersion blender if you want less cleanup. The goal is a coarse puree, not baby food, so pulse in short bursts and stop before it gets too smooth.
Why did my beans turn out tough?
The most common reason is salting too early. Add salt only after the beans are completely soft and tender. Salt tightens the bean skins during cooking, so they never get creamy no matter how long you simmer them.
