Vegetables, white beans, kale, and tons of parmesan cheese are just some of the ingredients in this delicious tomato broth-based soup. This Tuscan White Bean Soup is made with turkey too, making it a great option for using leftover turkey after Thanksgiving.
Why This Soup Works
Hearty soups filled with vegetables are very filling and this soup has plenty of vegetables, but also cannellini beans and turkey. With the tomato broth base, mirepoix mix, and kale it’s very similar to Ribollita.
There are many ways to use up leftover turkey from Thanksgiving and one of my favorites is with a soup, that’s completely different from traditional Thanksgiving foods. This is the perfect soup for using up leftovers. You can also use ground turkey too.
This Ribollita soup is also extremely healthy with so many vegetables and a simple broth base. It makes a heartwarming meal during cold fall and winter months.
Ingredients Needed
- Turkey Breast: since this soup is already filled with other ingredients you won’t need much. I used leftover turkey breast, which was a perfect addition.
- Lacinato Kale: Tuscan flavored dishes, especially a Ribollita soup, traditionally use Lacinato kale, which will wilt easier in the soup as it cooks. Most grocery stores carry this kind in the produce section of your store.
- Parmesan Rind: adding a parmesan rind is optional, but it does add a good depth of flavor to the soup as it simmers.
- Red Pepper Flakes: I tend to go heavy on the spicier spices, however, this is also an optional spice.
Recipe Variations
- Vegetarian: you can leave the turkey out of this recipe if you’d prefer a more traditional Ribollita or just want a vegetarian dish.
- Vegan: to make this a vegan dish omit the parmesan rind and turkey. Then swap the broth for a vegetable based broth.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prep. Start by chopping your onions, carrots, celery, and mince the garlic
- Sauté. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed pot or a Dutch oven. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, or until fragrant.
- Season. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and cook for an additional 8 to 10 minutes until the vegetables have softened.
- Mix in the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes and mix in with the vegetables and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Boil. Stir in the broth, white wine, kale, cannellini beans, and turkey breast. Place the parmesan rind (if using on top) and bring the soup to a soft boil.
- Simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.
Other Cooking Methods
I love to have a large pot of this soup simmering on the stove, but sometimes it’s easier to place it all in the slow cooker. There are also times when I need this soup cooked fast and for that, I need the Instant Pot.
Slow Cooker Method
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed pot or a Dutch oven. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic into the pot and toss to mix and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and cook for an additional 8 minutes. Place the mixture into your slow cooker.
- Add the tomatoes, broth, white wine, kale, cannellini beans, parmesan rind, and turkey breast, cover and set to LOW for 3 hours or HIGH for 1 ½ hours.
Instant Pot Method
- Set the Instant Pot to SAUTÉ and heat the olive oil. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic into the pot and toss to mix and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and cook for an additional 8 minutes until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the tomatoes, broth, white wine, kale, cannellini beans, turkey breast, and parmesan rind. Set the Instant Pot to MANUAL for 8 minutes, return the lid to the pot and set the vent to sealing.
- Allow the steam to release naturally for 10 mintues before removing the lid.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- To add even more flavor sprinkle the soup with some grated parmesan before you plan on serving it.
- For a thicker soup blend or puree 2 cups of the mixture after it’s cooked (and before the turkey is added), and return the blended mixture to the soup pot. Traditionally, this soup is thickened using crusty bread that is cooked in broth and then added to the soup.
- The turkey in this recipe is optional and Instead of using it you can also use diced pancetta or bacon.
- My prefered method of preparing this soup is on the stovetop and I love to use my favorite large Le Cruset Dutch Oven to do so.
FAQs
Of course! Ground turkey will work just as well for this soup and in fact, when I originally made this soup I used ground turkey. You’ll just need to brown the turkey first and break it into bits before adding it to the soup.
Yes. You can also use dried beans for this recipe, just soak them overnight and save some of the soaking water to add to the soup. You’ll need to cook it for a little longer as well as add some additional broth to compensate for the cooking time.
Related Recipes
If you made this Tuscan White Bean Soup I want to hear all about it! Share a photo and tag me on Instagram using @AimeeMarsLiving and #AimeeMars so I can see your beautiful work. Enjoy!
Tuscan White Bean Soup with Turkey
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 medium Onions diced
- 3 large Carrots chopped
- 2 stalks Celery chopped
- 4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 14 ounce can Diced Tomatoes
- 6 cups Chicken Broth
- ¼ cup White Wine optional
- 5 leaves Lacinato Kale stems removed and torn
- 2 15 ounce cans Cannellini Beans drained and rinsed
- 2 ounces Parmesan Rind optional for extra flavor
- ½ lb Turkey Breast or leftover turkey, optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed pot or a Dutch oven. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic into the pot and toss to mix and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and cook for an additional 8 to 10 minutes until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the tomatoes and mix in with the vegetables and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Stir in the broth, white wine, kale, cannellini beans, and turkey breast. Place the parmesan rind (if using on top) and bring the soup to a soft boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Tina says
Absolutely AMAZING. I’m fairly new with IP’s; however a very seasoned home cook. This is so far 1 of my favorites. Your recipe was easy, clearly written and followed (mostly) to the specifics given. I did IP dried cannellini (9 ounces) with 4 cups of h2o using the bean setting for 35 minutes cook time with npr. Incorporated the strained bean liquid with broth concentrate and added the difference to equal the 6 cups. 🤯 GOOD!!!
Thank you Aimee for such a wonderful recipe.
Aimee Mars says
Tina, you have made my day with your sweet comment. I’m thrilled this recipe has turned out so well for you and that you love it. Thanks for sharing with me and for trying my recipe.