The soup itself is built on butter-softened onion, garlic, and carrot, deepened with cumin and cardamom; a spice combination that gives this soup a warmth that rosemary-based versions do not have. Chicken broth and cannellini beans go in with a pinch of red pepper flakes, and the whole thing simmers into a rich, creamy soup that fills two bowls generously without needing anything else.
The gremolata is the step that makes this recipe mine. Grated Taleggio, lemon zest, and fresh thyme leaves stirred together and spooned over each bowl just before serving. It melts slightly into the hot soup and add a tangy, herbal richness that no amount of seasoning in the pot could replicate. It takes two minutes to make and changes everything about the bowl it lands on.
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Key Ingredients in This Recipe
You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.
- Cannellini beans – you an use other beans as well.
- Onion
- Carrot
- Garlic
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth can work as well.
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Cardamom
- Cumin
- Thyme
- Taleggio cheese – other cheese you could use are Raclette or Fontina.
- Lemon zest
Watch the process come together in this short video, step by step before you start cooking.
How to Make Cannellini Bean Soup
Step 1 – Heat butter in a pan and saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent.
Step 2 – Add carrots, cannellini beans and crushed red peppers and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Step 3 – Add the broth, the spices (cardamom and cumin) and the salt.
Place a lid on the pan, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium low and allow it to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 4 – Puree the soup, making use of a food processor or an immersion blender. Process until smooth.
Season with salt & pepper if needed.
The soup is ready. Fast and easy. It goes without saying that you can make this soup from dry beans as well, but obviously, this will take a lot longer.
Mix grated Taleggio cheese with lemon zest and sprinkle that over the soup. As a last touch add some thyme leaves.
Cannellini Bean Soup
Pin Recipe FacebookIngredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 ounces onion, about 1/4 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 2 ounces carrot, chopped
- 15 ounces cannellini beans (NOTE 1)
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 cups chicken broth, or vegetable
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- salt & pepper
For the Gremolata
- 1 ounce Taleggio cheese
- lemon zest
- thyme leaves
Instructions
- Heat butter in a pan and saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent.
- Add carrots, cannellini beans and crushed red pepper flakes and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Add the broth, the spices (cardamom and cumin) and the salt. Place a lid on the pant, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium low and allow it to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Puree the soup, making use of a food processor or an immersion blender. Process until the soup is smooth.
- Season with salt & pepper if needed.
- Make the gremolata by mixing grated Taleggio cheese with lemon zest.
- Pour the soup in two bowls and garnish with the gremolata and thyme leaves.
Notes
- Instead of cannellini beans from a can, you can start from scratch and use dry cannellini beans that you first have to soak in water (preferably overnight) and then cook them for a couple of hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.