Tuscan Potato Bean Soup is one of those meals that you enjoy so much, you completely forget that it is healthy and good for you!

If you’ve been reading the parables here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen for any length of time, it will come as no surprise to you that I’m publishing another soup recipe. Why? Because we all love soup!
I’m a fan of soup that I can prepare ahead of time and reheat later without compromising the taste or texture, and certainly not the integrity of the ingredients. What I mean by that is not overcooking the ingredients during the reheating process.

Tuscan Potato Bean Soup has a lot of ingredients, but they are generic and most of them will probably already be waiting for you in your pantry or crisper. Let’s get started!

Lord Byron, did you say this soup can be prepared ahead of time?
I guess I did hint at that, didn’t I? You can certainly prepare this soup ahead in two ways. First, you can wash and chop all of the veggies and store them in small containers with tight-fitting lids or in resealable sandwich bags. Just place them in the fridge until you’re ready to make the soup.

Don’t do that with the potatoes. If you peel and chop the potatoes ahead of time, rinse them under cold water and transfer them to a bowl. Cover the potatoes in water. Cover the bowl and store in the fridge. Don’t prep the veggies more than one day in advance for best results.
You can take it a step further and cook the soup completely. Once fully cooked, allow the soup to cool and then transfer to a food-safe container with a lid. Place in the fridge for up to two days and simply re-heat in pot over low heat until hot.

Otherwise, you can freeze for up to two months. Once a craving for soup hits, remove the container from the freezer and allow it to thaw completely at room temperature. This can take up to 8 hours, depending on how much soup has been frozen in a single container.
Once the soup is completely thawed, transfer to a pot and over low heat, simmer until the soup is hot. A low heat will just heat the soup through without further cooking the veggies and beans too much. This will help to keep the veggies from being overcooked.

There’s too much soup!
This recipe does make a very large pot of soup. If you don’t plan to freeze it, or if you are not feeding a large family (or big eaters like the Thomas-Ewing household) than go ahead and halve every ingredient in the recipe card below.
I must say though, I think soup is meant to be cooked in large batches. I don’t know anyone who eats just one bowl of soup! And when the leftovers are just as good, I say make a big batch and dinner is ready for another day!

Conclusion:
Celery, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, kale, and two types of beans – all simmered in a great stock infused with aromatics and a little bit of spice; how good does that sound?
Even though this soup is hearty and fills you up, the ingredients are healthy and light, and packed with protein and vitamins. Enjoy, Dear Reader; I’m sure you’ll make this soup over and over again!


Tuscan Potato Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large white onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 large stalks celery, diced
- 4 large carrots, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (may need more salt depending on the salt levels in the stock – taste and adjust)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 cups vegetable stock
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 6 large potatoes, peeled and diced into half inch chunks
- 2 cups canned navy beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups canned white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 small bunch kale, stems and ribs removed and discarded, leaves roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large heavy bottomed pot, over medium heat, add the olive oil and onions. Cook the onions until translucent. (About 4-5 minutes)
- Next, add the garlic and stir into the onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the carrots, celery, chili flakes, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Pour in the vegetable stock and the canned tomatoes.
- Add the tomato paste and bay leaves. Stir everything together to combine. Place a lid on the pot and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and stir into the soup. Place the lid back on the pot and cook for 15 minutes.
- Next, add the beans and the kale. Stir to combine. Place the lid back on the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid. Check to see if the potatoes are cooked through. If not, continue to simmer until potatoes are cooked. If cooked, turn off heat and stir in the chopped parsley.
- Remove the bay leaves and ladle the soup and top with a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Serve with crusty bread.
Nutrition


Ann says
If I make a big batch of soup (I’m a 100lb single woman who gets full after a small bowl), I always give at least half away to my fellow single neighbors. Soup always tastes better when made in a large pot; one can’t make soup for just one person and I simply don’t have the freezer space! I always have plenty of takers, though! Just yesterday, my single neighbor Darrell called and hinted around about how he didn’t know what to do on Thanksgiving. I left him hanging, with no commitment but with some hope that I might be cooking on Thanksgiving. Hehe.
Anyway, back to your recipe…I changed mine up by using homemade beef broth, adding ground veal, no kale, chopped serrano and jalapeno, celery seed, oregano, coriander, cumin, and light red kidney beans. For the tomato part, I added some leftover homemade marinara. I definitely have enough to give away to at least 3 neighbors with enough for me to enjoy for 2 days. Any more than that and I won’t want to eat it anyway. I tire of leftovers easily.
Nothing like a nice hot steamy bowl of soup now that the weather is turning wintry. I’ve been cooking for >40 years and I just keep getting better. Thanks for all your posts! I enjoy them!
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Now all I have to do is come up with a menu for next week. I’m thinking about a slow-roasted, bone-in, whole pork shoulder… 🙂
Btw, my cats say MEOW…purr!
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you for taking the time to write such a wonderful message, Ann! I loved reading it – even the part about you being a hundred pounds and me being totally jealous! Ha! Merry Christmas!