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Tuscan White Bean Soup with Rosemary and Bacon.
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5 from 4 votes

Tuscan White Bean Soup with rosemary and pancetta

White bean soup with rosemary and pancetta is slightly adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa recipe. Serves 6 as a starter or 4 as a meal.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 514kcal
Author: Cynthia

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces pancetta diced and divided
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion chopped, about 1 1/2 cups
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 14 ounce cans cannellini beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 spring fresh rosemary 3-4 inches
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Optional walnut or olive oil to drizzle on top.
  • Kosher salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Cook pancetta until crisp. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. Reserve 1/2 the pancetta for garnish.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of bacon fat and olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over a medium heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
  • Add garlic and continue to cook one more minute.
  • Then add beans, stock, rosemary and bay leaf. With cover slightly off simmer about 20 to 30 minutes, until the beans are very soft. Remove the the rosemary branch and bay leaf.
  • Using an immersion blender, blend soup, leaving it coarsely pureed.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in crumbled 1/2 diced cooked pancetta. Drizzle with walnut or olive oil, additional chopped rosemary and diced pancetta if desired.

Notes

  • Bacon can be substituted for the pancetta, but don't use a "maple" or hickory flavored bacon. 
  • Wait until after the soup is pureed to season. Some chicken broth can be saltier than others.
  • If there isn't enough fat left from cooking the pancetta, make up the difference with additional oil. 
  • Leaving the lid askew on top of the pot will help reduce the soup somewhat.
  • If, after pureeing the soup, it's too thick, add more broth until desired consistency is achieved.
  • If the soup is too thin, reduce with the cover off, for an additional 10 minutes or until desired thickness is reached.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 514kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 521mg | Potassium: 368mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 234IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 4mg