This hearty white bean and bacon soup is a comforting one-pot meal that is loaded with cannellini beans, tender spinach, fresh herbs, and bacon! Ready in just 25 minutes, the rich depth of flavors will have everyone thinking you spent hours in the kitchen.
Why You’ll Love This White Bean and Bacon Soup
- Bacon Bliss: Let’s start with the obvious — bacon! Those crispy, savory bits of salty heaven add a smoky depth to every spoonful.
- Quick & Easy: Made all in one-pot in under 30 minutes, this cannellini bean soup recipe is so simple to make and even easier to clean up.
- Loaded With Veggies: In addition to the protein and fiber filled white beans, we included a colorful veggie parade of onions, carrots, spinach, garlic and celery!
- Comforting: Served alongside a piece of crusty bread to soak up all that flavorful broth, this bean and bacon soup will warm you up on even the chilliest nights.
Looking for more veggie-forward dishes? You’ll also love our hearty carrot and black bean soup, this vegetarian white bean soup, or our zesty chickpea salad!
What You’ll Need
One of the things we love about bean and bacon soup is how simple the ingredient list is. This is a budget friendly dinner that will leave you full and satisfied! Scroll down to the recipe card for exact amounts.
- Bacon: While we love the crispy addition of bacon, you could use leftover cooked, diced ham instead. If you have a ham bone lying around, let that simmer in the soup for even more flavor! If you prefer to make this soup vegetarian, swap the bacon for olive oil.
- Veggies: We’ll loaded this soup up with onion, celery, carrots, baby spinach (or kale), and fresh garlic.
- Cannellini Beans: You can also use white navy beans, great northern beans or any tender white beans.
- Chicken Broth: Chicken stock, vegetable broth, or bone broth will all work too. A low-sodium stock may require a little more salt.
- Fresh Herbs: The combo of fresh parsley and oregano add incredible depth of flavor to our soup. If you don’t have fresh herbs, use 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning instead.
- Salt & Pepper: Freshly cracked black pepper will add the most flavor. For a bit of heat, you can add a bit of crushed red pepper flakes.
How to Make Cannellini Bean Soup
A great cannellini bean soup recipe doesn’t need to be overly complex. With just a few simple steps, you’ll have an amazing pot of bean and bacon soup simmering away in no time! Scroll to the recipe card at bottom of the post for full detailed instructions.
- Bacon: Cook the bacon in a heavy bottomed pot (we use a Dutch oven) until it’s nice and crispy. Scoop out the pieces onto a paper towel.
- Sauté: Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the hot bacon grease. Cook until they start to soften, then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
- Simmer: Stir in the beans, broth, and herbs. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Finish: Add the spinach and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top each bowl with crispy bacon when serving. Enjoy!
Cook’s Tips and Variations
- Thicken the Broth: If you’d like a thicker, creamier broth, mash up some of the beans at the end. You can even use an immersion blender and pulse it just a few times. We skipped this step because we like our soup a little ‘soupier’, but it is a great option!
- White Bean Options: This bean soup was made for soft and tender cannellini beans. However if you prefer more texture, swap a can for garbanzo beans (chickpeas).
- Herbs: If you aren’t an oregano fan, rosemary and thyme are both great substitutions.
- Kale: If you choose to use kale instead of spinach, you will need to add it to the soup earlier as it takes longer to become tender. Add it when you add the beans!
- Lemon: Adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice will brighten the flavor of this soup.
- Crockpot: Fry your bacon and set it aside. Sauté the veggies as directed, then add them to a crockpot with all ingredients except the bacon and spinach. Cook on low for up to 8 hours, or high for up to 4 hours. Stir spinach in before serving!
What to Serve With Bean and Bacon Soup
You don’t need to get overly complicated when serving this tender white bean and bacon soup. A large bowl is hearty enough on it’s own, all we tend to crave alongside it is a piece of crusty bread or garlic bread!
You could also add a nice side salad or our wilted lettuce salad with hot bacon dressing to keep the bacon theme going! An air fryer grilled cheese would also be great on the side.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Like most soups, this bean and bacon soup only gets better as the flavors meld together.
- Fridge: Store your soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: We usually use the microwave to reheat a single bowl and the stovetop for multiple servings. Add a little more broth if the soup is a little thick.
- Freezer: Place cooled soup in a freezer-safe bag and freeze flat for easy storage. It’ll stay fresh for up to 3 months. For best results, thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Yield: 6 servings
White Bean and Bacon Soup
This hearty White Bacon and Bean Soup is an easy, one-pot meal loaded with flavor in just 25 minutes! Loaded with tender white beans, spinach, fresh herbs, and crispy bacon, this cannellini bean soup will hit the spot on any chilly night.
Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 sticks celery, diced
- 3 carrots, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 (15.5 oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, or rosemary, plus more for serving
- 2 cups baby spinach
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large heavy bottomed pot, like a dutch oven, add the bacon and cook over medium heat until crispy, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon scoop out the bacon pieces and set aside.
- Add the onion, celery and carrots to the hot bacon grease and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds more.
- Stir in the beans, broth, parsley and oregano. (If using kale instead of spinach, add the kale now.) Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- When ready to serve, stir in the spinach and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve immediately topped with crispy bacon, and a little parsley and oregano, if desired.
Notes
Store: Store your soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat: We usually use the microwave to reheat a single bowl and the stovetop for multiple servings. Either way, add a little more broth if the soup is a little thick while reheating.
Freeze: Place cooled soup in a freezer-safe bag and freeze flat for easy storage. It’ll stay perfectly fresh for up to 3 months. For best results, thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Thicken the Broth:If you’d like a thicker, creamier broth, mash up some of the beans at the end. You can even use an immersion blender and pulse it just a few times.
White Bean Options: This bean soup was made for soft and tender cannellini beans, white navy beans or great northern beans. However if you prefer more texture, swap a can for garbanzo beans (chickpeas).
Kale: If you choose to use kale instead of spinach, you will need to add it to the soup earlier as it takes longer to become tender. Add it when you add the beans!
Lemon: Adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice will brighten the flavor of this soup.
Crockpot: Fry your bacon and set it aside. Sauté the veggies as directed, then add them to a crockpot with all ingredients except the bacon and spinach. Cook on low for up to 8 hours, or high for up to 4 hours. Stir spinach in before serving!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 251kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 1168mg, Potassium: 262mg, Fiber: 12g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 6121IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 176mg, Iron: 6mg
