I’ve Been Making Ina Garten’s Tuscan Soup for Over 10 Winters—It’s Still My Favorite

There are vibrant and colorful foods...and then there's bean soup. Not a thing worth writing home about based on its lifeless looks, but it'll nourish you from the inside out, and that's what I want when it gets pitch-dark before dinnertime and my azalea shrubs are covered with snow.

There are currently only two bean soup recipes in my repertoire: Marcella Hazan's easy 15-minute version and Ina Garten's Tuscan White Bean Soup, which takes more effort, but is worth every slurp.

What makes Ina's soup Tuscan? I've always wondered about this and dug a little to find the answer in Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. Cookbook author Marcella Hazan says, "Legumes are used liberally throughout Italy, but they are nowhere treated with the affection they receive in the central regions of Tuscany ... Tuscans favor cannellini or white kidney beans."

Ina's Tuscan soup calls for cannellini beans and is worthy of everyone's affection. The beans melt into the broth, becoming ultra-luxurious. Try it once, and don't be surprised if it becomes a wintertime cooking ritual.

My Time-Saving Shorcuts for Ina's Soup

Ina's original recipe will have you chop a lot of things—pancetta, onions, leeks, carrots, celery, and garlic. Tack on having to soak and cook the beans and homemade chicken stock? Sorry, Ina. I love you, but I don't think I can swing that.

So instead, I focus my efforts on chopping the vegetables—a powerful mix that becomes the backbone of this soup. Then I use pre-diced pancetta, canned cannellini beans, and store-bought chicken stock.

How I Make Ina Garten's Tuscan Bean Soup

In a six-quart Dutch oven or large pot, start by browning four ounces of diced pancetta in 1/4 cup of olive oil. Then add two cups each of diced onions, leeks, carrots, and celery, and six minced cloves of garlic. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add two 14-ounce cans of drained and rinsed cannellini beans, eight cups of low-sodium chicken stock from two 32-ounce cartons, two dry bay leaves, one tablespoon of kosher salt (or 1/2 tablespoon table salt), and one teaspoon of ground black pepper.

It will feel like you're adding too much salt, but trust the queen (I mean Ina, not me, obviously). The vegetables and beans soak up much of the salt and need it to shine. I recommend using low-sodium chicken stock if you're worried.

You will also notice that Ina calls for fresh rosemary, but I don't use it because it overpowers everything else. If you don't mind, you can add two teaspoons of finely chopped or one teaspoon of dried rosemary.

Simmer the soup with the lid slightly ajar for 45 minutes to one hour over low heat.

When it’s done, the vegetables and beans will melt into the broth. Top the soup with freshly grated Parm and serve it with a hunk of sturdy bread. This soup will coax you to life. It's the most beautiful, nourishing soup for winter.