A delicious, healthy & comforting tomato soup thickened with blended white beans. Leftovers are great for packed lunches! Vegan, gluten-free, and simple.
It’s been a soupy week around here. I’ve said it probably one hundred times before, but I just love the process of making soup. It makes me feel grounded and fancy all at the same time. Simmering flavorful things in a pot (with a glass of wine on the side) is my idea of a perfect night. It could be Tuesday night, it could be Friday night – it doesn’t matter to me.
I made this one last weekend when my mom came to visit and again a few days later for Jack who had been out of town. The best part about all of this soup making (and testing and shooting) is the leftover lunch soup – because second day soup is where it’s at. Trust me, you’ll want to make extra and store away the leftovers for lunch all week. It gets better and better.
Because it’s the middle of winter, I used canned tomatoes, which makes this soup “soup-er” easy (get it? also – I’m so sorry). I thickened the soup with white beans (half blended and half left whole for texture). For extra creaminess, I also blended in some raw cashews. If you’re looking for a lighter more tomato-y soup, you can skip them – I actually like it both ways, depending on what I’m in the mood for.
Creamy White Bean & Tomato Soup
- 1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- splash of white wine (or a few teaspoons balsamic vinegar)
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes
- 3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- ¼ cup raw cashews (optional, for extra creaminess)
- 1½ cups cooked cannellini beans, divided
- 3 cups baby spinach
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
- freshly ground black pepper
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, and then add the garlic and carrots. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent and the carrots begin to soften, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, breaking them up in the pot with a wooden spoon. Season with more salt and pepper and cook for 8 more minutes, or until the tomatoes cook down and continue to break apart.
- Add the wine, stir and let the alcohol cook off for about 1 minute. Add the cashews, if using, HALF of the white beans, the thyme sprigs, the broth and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the thyme sprigs from the pan and carefully pour the mixture into a blender, working in batches if necessary. Blend the soup then season to taste with salt, pepper. If the soup is too thick, add a little more broth or water.
- Pour the blended soup back into the pot. Add the remaining beans and the spinach and simmer over low heat until the spinach is wilted and the soup is hot. Season to taste and serve.
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I love this soup! Tonight I added cashews though and I couldn’t blend to a super smooth texture – perhaps next time I should soak them beforehand? They were raw… or I need a better blender? Bummed as it’s a batch of gritty soup. Still eating it!
Hi Ali, a stronger blender would do the trick – I make the creamiest cashew soups and sauces using a Vitamix – it’s definitely an investment but they last forever, so I think it’s worth it. Soaking would help a little.
I made this for dinner tonight. While I loved the texture, I thought it was lacking in flavor. I ended up adding several tablespoon of tomato paste and some basil paste (from the squeeze tubes you can purchase at most grocers). After those additions, I really loved it. It is much lighter and I love the flavor of the carrots in it. It tastes very fresh.
I was shocked – shocked! – at how much better this soup is than the sum of its parts. I subbed chard for the spinach, and didn’t add the cashews or thyme. It was super delicious and warming on a cold, rainy day. My kids both ate it without complaining (although one did pick out the chard). I started making it at 5:38pm, and had dinner on the table by 6:15. I used an immersion blender to save dishes…and because my stand up blender kicked the bucket. 🙂
The soup looks wonderful. I will make today. Just wondering if the cashews need to be soaked.
Hi Dacri, I don’t soak them. If you’re using a powerful blender (like a vitamix), it’s not necessary. If your blender isn’t as strong, you could soak them now and drain them when you’re ready to make the soup! I hope that helps!
Yum! So much flavour. Definitely a keeper
Eh, I just found this underwhelming/it was just not what I, personally, was looking for. I want my tomato soup to taste like tomatoes and (not surprisingly), this one tasted more like blended carrots. I didn’t love the taste of the white beans blended in and didn’t find that they made it creamy in any way. I think next time I’d use no carrots and not blend the beans in. Overall, it kind of just tasted like I was trying to make something healthy, not something delicious. And veggie soup can be delicious!
(also your “notify me of follow-up comments” button won’t let me opt out…)
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this one.
I used an immersion blender for this recipe. It’s easy to soften cashews quickly-measure the amount needed for the recipe-place in small pot, cover with water and add a squirt of lemon. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and cover. Let sit for 15 minutes off heat and drain. Cashews will be soft and will be easy to blend in the soup. Easy to prepare recipe-I did add some red pepper flakes-we like our soup spicy.
Hi Dianne, I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup! Thank you for the tips about using the immersion blender!
Made this tonight and it was a hit! We didn’t add the beans at the end – easier to hide them when they’re pureed! So good.. will be going on my meal plan rotation.
Hi Lindsey, I’m so glad you loved the soup!
I love this soup! I add all the beans and spinach in prior to blending…my kids will eat them that way! I also add in about a 1/2 cup of parmesan at the end, and then garnish with parm on top, too. Serve with crusty bread. A family fave!
Hi Jocelyn, I’m glad you all loved it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
I followed the recipe exactly and used a vitamix. I will def omit the cashews next time. It was tasty,but def gritty:(
Hi, this looks amazing! Can you use canned beans? Thanks!
Yep, I used canned beans! Works great.
I did and it turned out great!
I made this without the cashews because I didn’t have any. Added a pinch of cayenne and a splash of cream at the end. SO good. Best tomato soup I’ve ever tasted! And the beans make it filling enough for a dinner. This is going to be a regular recipe at our place!
I’m so glad you loved it!
As soon as the cold weather rolled in, I got a major craving for tomato soup and grilled cheese, and remembered I had this recipe pinned! I love that it satisfied my craving for the classic soup but added some extra nutrition (especially helpful when eating it along with a bunch of bread and cheese lol). I got lazy and used my immersion blender, which wasn’t able to blend the cashews all the way so it was a little bit gritty. That didn’t really bother me but next time I’ll either soak them or maybe add a swirl of coconut milk in. Currently enjoying 2-day old leftovers for lunch 🙂
Do you happen to know the nutrition facts for this soup? Calories per serving? Going to try this recipe tonight!!
Hi Karen, I don’t calculate nutrition #’s but there are lots of sites where you can plug in the ingredients and get that info. Sorry!
Omg! This soup is so good, so filling, so healthy! I love it. Only had red wine and it would perfectly. Going to make this over and over.
I have to carb count, being Diabetic. Do you have the nutritional info for this recipe? Thanks!
I loved ot! Nothing beats a cozy soup at the end of a busy day!
I added heaps of chopped parsley right before serving because that’s what we Bulgarians do, and it turned out perfect!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I’ll have to try it with parsley next time!
Thanks for the recipe. I made this soup today, and it is delicious. I have always liked cream of tomato soup, and this is really good. I don’t miss the milk and butter. I used a vintage Oster blender and would suggest blending a cup at time. The soup comes off the windows and wood work fairly easy if one chooses to push the limit.
Hi Kathy – ha, I hope it wasn’t too messy :). So glad you enjoyed the soup!
I wanted to make this for my wisdom teeth extraction recovery so I pureed the whole thing and it’s so good! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so happy to hear! Happy healing 🙂
Just made this for dinner, it is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
Hi Holly, thanks for coming back to let me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!