Tomato and White Bean Soup With Lots of Garlic
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 10garlic cloves
- ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2(14-ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini or great Northern, including their liquid
- 1(28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1cup stock or water, plus more as needed
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Heavy cream, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
471 calories; 18 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 62 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 1133 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Peel the garlic, then smash the cloves using a meat pounder or the bottom of a heavy skillet until wispy and flat.
- Step 2
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the olive oil, then add the crushed garlic, and cook, smashing with the back of a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until golden brown and beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Step 3
Add the white beans and their liquid, crushed tomatoes, stock or water, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then partly cover, reduce heat, and let simmer until thickened and fragrant, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Step 4
Using an immersion or regular blender, purée the soup until smooth. Add cream or stock or water to thin as desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle with heavy cream before serving.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
seattlegardener
Here’s how you can take this soup from so-so to delicious: To your garlic and oil mixture add your favorite blend of warm spices. I used approximately 1/4 of each of the following: ground coriander, ground fennel, chili flakes and ground sumac, plus lots of black pepper. After the step with the immersion blender, I added about 2Tbs of pepper jelly, 2 Tbs of tomato paste and about a half cup coconut milk (use the rest of the can to drizzle over when serving, in place of cream). Yum!
Thaisa
I used a dash of cinnamon, cayenne, herbes de Provence, oregano, and blended parmesan cheese. Next time I'll cook it with a carrot to balance the tartness (an Italian trick). This time I added some sugar.
Christopher Scott
In a hurry I dumped two cans of white beans into the tomato depths and followed the recipe exactly (including a massive amount of irregular garlic). When I put the cans in recycling I noticed they were garbanzos, not cannellini (Progresso labels look alike). I enjoyed my hummus-tomato soup immensely.
Susan
Using undrained beans gave the dish a salty, funky, unappealing flavor that ruined the soup. I’d recommend that cooks rinse and drain the beans. Very disappointed.
Aline
As always, amused by all the additions and changes that "adapt" this recipe into something dramatically different. I was out of all fresh food (because of shopping-laziness) and needed something with vegetables. Had just cooked some giant white beans. Only adaptation I made was putting the peeled garlic cloves -- a whole head's worth -- into a zipper plastic bag A plastic -headed mallet made it easy and fun to smash the cloves into submission. Filling and healthy! (used soy milk to finish.)
Liz
Was very good, quick and easy. I used fire roasted crushed canned tomatoes, which gave mine a nice smokey flavor. Agree with the other posters that high quality canned tomatoes is a must here.
A Southwick
I'm inclined to roast a whole head of garlic and add that to this soup.
DrDre2008
This was way delish, but required some adaptation. I used 2 cans of beans & 2 of tomato. As I was preparing the garlic (I used regular & black), I had the thought to add tomato paste. I should have. I would have created a richer flavor. But I did add the very last of our basil & 1/4 cup of marsala & parmesan along with the veg broth, 1/2 & 1/2. That created much more depth. I would add another 14-oz can of tomatoes next time to bring the tomato flavor forward. Served w/ parmesan tuiles. Yum.
Ray Hunter
I make this soup with a chopped carrot, chopped onion, and chopped stalk of celery. I also sauté about a tablespoon of finely minced anchovy and Italian parsley just after the garlic and before I add the tomato. I use either chicken or vegetable broth. Very good.
melissa
You cannot go wrong with white beans and garlic. Adding tomatoes and puréeing into a silky bisque is lovely. Use best quality canned tomatoes, season well, add a generous drizzle of cream, and finish with cracked pepper and Maldon sea salt.
Tavia
A soup even the children enjoyed! Added pesto and lemon at the end. Served with fresh sourdough bread.
Christopher C
Cooked as written. Thought it was great. Kinda funny the recipe asks you to peel the garlic, then smash it. Cut the root end, place flat side of knife on the clove, strike with fist. Viola, garlic smashed and peeled.
RosebudTX
Made as directed. I chose the water option instead of broth and added just a bit of heavy cream towards the very end of blending, as suggested at the thinning stage. Served with chunks of French bread for lunch. Later, when I said we were having pizza for dinner, the family said, “Pizza, and more soup!”. A definite hit and no one would ever guess how easy it was to make.
Elizajane1234
Simmered with Parmesan rinds and added a dash of balsamic and hot sauce when serving.
Jen W
Not a five star soup as written. I followed recipe to the letter and it was bland, with no specific taste coming through. I appreciate the modifications that people add to notes so I know what to try next time. I am thinking I need to just read the notes before making anything, though. I’ve been disappointed a few times when making the original recipe without suggested modifications.
dolcecigno
This is a great recipe. I felt it could use more acidity, so I added a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and that gave it more depth of flavor. Some torn fresh basil at the end was also good.
a good soup
Great template to improvise off / add to for an incredibly easy creamy tomato soup! Mutti brand canned tomatoes are some of the most reliably good and easy to find in my experience. Added a chopped carrot to saute with the garlic, some chili for spice, and a pinch of smoked paprika. Needed a bit more liquid than recipe calls for but easily added at the end. Was delicious with freshly grated Parmesan on top.
Jonathan
What's nice about this recipe is that it's so easy to adapt (see the many notes from others doing so). It's a default for me when I need a quick dinner in a pinch, but I've never made it the same way twice. Last iteration I added thai green chilis then threw a few handfuls of spinach in after blending for some greens. Serve over quinoa or faro for grain. Quick, easy, tasty!
amber
Interesting soup! Never eaten white beans before so didn’t know what to expect. I drained the beans but didn’t rinse, and added some onion and a small carrot. Next time, I’ll drain AND rinse the beans. I’d make this again and will continue to experiment with seasonings. To those who said this was grainy, perhaps leave the soup to simmer a few minutes longer. My soup was grainy initially but this went away as I kept blending and added a little more broth.
margot
I soaked one and a half cups of alluvia Blanca beans from Rancho Gordo.
Nat
Use spices
Amanda
I didn't like this soup. The garlic was really a lot, and I love garlic. Would maybe try again with others' suggestions of added spice blends. It was otherwise kind of bitter, so I added a tiny tiny bit of sugar. Would not recommend adding the beans without rinsing them first if you are at all sensitive to beans, digestion wise.
Martha W.
I took the advice of some others here: I drained and rinsed the beans; sautéed two anchovy fillets, parsley with the garlic once browned; added sumac, a Berbère spice mix, onion powder, a little oregano; used two cans of tomatoes and homemade broth. Added 2 tblsp of tomato paste. Put in 2 tblsps of unsalted butter at the end to cut the tartness. This soup is on the tart side, but we liked that with the saltiness combined. Blended and added more water to thin it out a bit when done. Delicious.
Katie
This was…not my favorite. The beans, even when blended smooth, lent an unpleasant graininess to it that eventually made me sieve the whole thing. Which I’m pretty sure negates any nutritional benefits to the beans. And then the garlic was fine, but nothing special flavor-wise. I think a tomato soup starting with a mirepoix and some tomato paste (and a lot of butter) is better overall!
stacie
I added 2 carrots and 2 stalks celery, and a tbsp of tomato paste per the recommendations, as well as cumin etc. I didn’t have cans of beans so cooked some dried beans then bc it seemed like more beans than 2 cans worth, I added 2 cans chopped tomatoes and 1 can Rotel tomatoes for a little kick. Delish
Ann
Made this last night and thought is was delicious. Was looking for a good basic tomato soup with good protein. Took other suggestions here to add a carrot and tomato paste and added a small shallot. Used whole San Marzano tomatoes, rinsed the beans, and added 2 cups of veggie broth. Will make again!
Ksenia C
Okay, picture this: a soup so timid, it wouldn't even wave hello. A shadow of flavor, skulking through your taste buds like a sour-ish whisper. Yes, friends, we're talking about the epitome of culinary meh. Speed is its only virtue, any hint of real character is absent. Cheese, pesto, even basil leaves couldn't cover its blandness. This soup isn't bad, it's just... nothing. A culinary void. It's a 2 only because kiddos ate half of a bowl on a December night, and, let's face it - now we rest!
orlando bloom
Used cooked from dried beans w liquid instead of canned and 1 T red pepper flakes. Top notch
Jamie
I am excited to have this as a versatile, simple, and relatively quick soup in rotation. I added two shallots and oregano, and they provided further depth in the flavor profile. I look forward to making this soup again and playing around with different spice combinations.
Les
Meh. Predominant flavor is pureed beans.
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