White Bean Parmesan Soup (Printable)

Smooth, creamy white bean soup with aromatic vegetables and rich Parmesan. Ready in under an hour.

# What You Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
04 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Beans & Liquid

06 - 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
07 - 4 cups vegetable stock
08 - 1 bay leaf

→ Dairy & Seasoning

09 - 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
10 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
11 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 - 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
13 - 1/2 cup heavy cream

→ Garnish

14 - Chopped fresh parsley

# How-To Steps:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté for 6–8 minutes until vegetables are softened.
02 - Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add the drained beans, vegetable stock, bay leaf, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
04 - Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes.
05 - Remove the bay leaf. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth and creamy, or transfer in batches to a countertop blender.
06 - Stir in the Parmesan cheese and heavy cream. Heat gently until cheese is melted and soup is heated through. Adjust seasoning as needed.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls. Top with extra Parmesan and chopped parsley. Serve hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It transforms pantry staples into something that tastes like it simmered all day at a farmhouse table
  • The texture is somehow both luxurious and deeply comforting, perfect for dipping crusty bread
  • This is the kind of soup that makes people ask what's different about it, that certain something that keeps them coming back for seconds
02 -
  • I once skipped blending the soup completely and the texture was still lovely, just more rustic, so don't stress if you don't have a blender handy
  • The soup thickens considerably as it cools, so if you're reheating leftovers you might want to thin it with a splash of water or stock
  • That squeeze of lemon juice mentioned in the notes genuinely transforms the final bowl, cutting through the richness in the most beautiful way
03 -
  • Grating the Parmesan fresh from a wedge rather than buying pre-grated makes a surprising difference in how it melts into the soup
  • If you want an ultra-smooth texture, pass the blended soup through a fine-mesh sieve, though I rarely bother with this extra step
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