Tuscan Bean and Veggie Soup
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
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Print Pin CommentIngredients
For the Tuscan bean and veggie soup:
- 1 tbsp 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 1/3 cups)
- 400 g tin cannellini beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
- 1 litre vegetable stock (~ 4 cups) – or 1 litre water plus two stock cubes
- 100 g dried pearl barley (~ 1/3 cup)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp basil pesto
- Black pepper
For the croutons:
- 2 slices thick crusty bread
- 1 tbsp oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
To serve:
- 1 tbsp 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.
I really love tuscan bean soup and this one looks great. It’s so good for leftovers and yes, one pan!!! Yummy.
It’s allllmost even better the next day :)
Oh that looks really good Becca, love a bit of pearl barley to make a really hearty winter soup. Happy birthday Pip – what a cutie!!
I mostly only used the pearl barley because it’s been lingering in my cupboard wanting to be used, but it worked so well!
Ow wow Becca this soup looks just amazing and the flavours just lush, perfect comfort food for Autumn:-)
I love a thick bean soup, proper rib sticking, but still healthy winter food.
I could seriously go a great big bowlful of this right now, in front of the tv, please! :) Yum!
Ooh yes, the only thing that makes comfort food better is eating it in front of the TV ;)
I think I could use about 50 bowls of this!
Hi Becca,
This looks like a hearty & comforting soup. And yes to one pan!
Happy birthday to Pip!! She’s adorable! :)
Amy
Thanks Amy, her cuteness means she gets away with a lot! ;)
That looks gorgeous! I just made a sort of minestrone soup (my take on it!) earlier this week, but it made so much I’ve thrown half of it in the freezer for next week. Just beginning to be soup-ish weather, isn’t it?
It’s been pretty cold here this week – especially since we’re resisting putting our heating on just yet! Definitely soup weather :)
Those magic erasers are nuts! My wife bought one once, I thought she was ridiculous buying what is basically an expensive sponge, but OH MY GOD was it worth it!
Our walls suffer a lot from ‘dirty dog syndrome’, the magic sponge thing sorted that right out!
Baz
Haha yes they’re good aren’t they!
Could this be made in a slow cooker?
Thank you.
Happy Birthday Pip, may your day be filled with noms and toys and everything you love.
My dog Boo has a friend who looks just like the Flash advert dog. Boo whines because she thinks her friend is in the TV.
Hi Jackie, I haven’t tried this in a slow cooker but I don’t see why not! You’d need to keep an eye on it the first time you make it though because I’m not sure exactly how long the pearl barley would take to cook in a slow cooker.
Haha that’s so sweet, Pip just hates seeing any animals on TV for some reason, even though in real life she’s friends with everyone!
Hiya Becca
Pearl barley takes about four hours on low in my slow cooker. I tend to chuck it in a lot of stuff to bulk things out.
Boo only reacts to the Flash dog and Harvey/Sykes on TV fortunately.
I’ve had a bag of pearl barley in the cupboard for ages – trying to clear out the cupboards a bit so thought it was a good thing to throw in :)