The other day I asked whether anyone had any recipe requests for the coming months, and a few people said they'd like to see some warming soup recipes. So, I bring you this hearty Tuscan bean and veggie soup! Ask, and you shall receive. Unless you ask for something entirely ludicrous, in which case you probably won't receive... sorry. But soup, I can do!
This Tuscan bean and veggie soup is inspired by an Italian dish called ribollita, which is a really hearty soup that's absolutely jam packed with good stuff. When a recipe uses about 8 different vegetables, you know it's going to be full of flavour - not to mention full of vitamins. The kind of food that makes you feel great inside and out.
A classic ribollita usually has leftover bread mixed right into the soup, but I kept my bread separate (crispy croutons ftw), and cooked some pearl barley in the soup instead for some extra heartiness. It's proper comfort food, but it's healthy too. The perfect combination.
One of the best things about this Tuscan bean and veggie soup is that it's all made in one pan, which is a huuuuge plus for me - less washing up! I'm sure you can imagine, as a food blogger I do a lot of cooking, which unfortunately means I also create a lot of mess.
What are your favourite winter warmers? Don't forget, if you have any more recipe requests, don't be shy!
Tuscan Bean and Veggie Soup
If you've cooked this recipe, don't forget to leave a star rating!
Print Pin CommentIngredients
For the Tuscan bean and veggie soup:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 2 sticks celery, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 small courgette, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large handfuls curly kale, chopped
- 400 g tinned tomatoes (~ 1 ⅓ cups)
- 400 g tin cannellini beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 ¼ cups, when drained)
- 1 litre vegetable stock (~ 4 cups) - or 1 litre water plus two stock cubes
- 100 g dried pearl barley (~ ⅓ cup)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon basil pesto
- Black pepper
For the croutons:
- 2 slices thick crusty bread
- 1 tablespoon oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
To serve:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat some oil in a large saucepan or casserole dish, and add the diced onion, carrot and celery. Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes, stirring regularly, then add the diced peppers, courgette, garlic, and chopped kale. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Add the tin of chopped tomatoes to the pan, along with the drained cannellini beans, vegetable stock, and dried pearl barley. Also add the oregano, thyme, pesto, and plenty of black pepper. Mix well to combine. Cover the pan with a lid, just leaving a crack for the steam to escape, and turn the heat down fairly low so the soup is simmering gently. Allow it to cook, stirring occasionally, for around an hour, or until the pearl barley is soft.
- If the soup has reduced at all, you may wish to add another cup or two of water at this point, to help is stretch further. The soup should serve at least 4 people, but could serve up to 6 people, if you add some extra liquid.
- To make the croutons, tear some crusty bread into large pieces, and toss in a tablespoon of oil with some salt and pepper. Bake for around 10 minutes at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F), until golden brown and crispy.
- Serve the soup warm, topped with the crispy croutons, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and some fresh parsley.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
Ana says
Very nice post, I make my own version of Tuscan Soup ~ it truly is delicious! As a fellow Vegetarian, I would just like to point out that parmesan cheese is NOT vegetarian...so you would either have to make your own pesto, or find pesto that utilizes parma! and/or nutritional yeast. True parmesan cheese is produced according to traditional methods which use calf rennet...Basically rennet is an enzyme used in the process of coagulating milk to turn it into cheese, and it's usually found in the stomach lining of the newborn ruminants, such as a calf -- it helps them digest mother's milk. You can only retrieve this enzyme after slaughtering the animal.
Unfortunately, many people & restaurant owners don't realize this (I didn't for the longest time). From now on, read the ingredients of the cheese you pick up, and if it contains rennet -- opt for another cheese. There are many cheeses that contain microbial enzymes or bacterial enzymes. If it only states enzymes, then it will be animal sourced.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Definitely, I always use vegetarian parmesan-style cheese - thanks for the reminder though :)
Julia (@Imagelicious) says
The soup looks absolutely amazing! Happy birthday to Pip. And lol at the ad :) so funny!
Just Jo says
Oh yum yum yum! I need more soup recipes for my lunches at home now that's where I work and this looks perfect :D
Sarah says
"Soup Weather" has literally come out of nowhere and I've been craving bowls of it for lunch all week...absolutely must make this recipe ASAP! Looks delicious and would make for a great lunch :)
Katie Bryson says
Firstly, how CUTE is Pip?!!!! Secondly I could tuck into that bowl of soup right now... loving how chunky it looks and really liking the look of those gigantic croutons. Nice work Becca!!!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
That looks so comforting! I love a chunky bean soup at this time of year and it just goes to show you don't need meat for a meal to be filling.