Black and White Bean Soup
Learn to make my simple Black and White Bean Soup! Pair it with an easy grilled cheese sandwich for a hearty, filling dinner on a busy school night.
Doesn’t everyone like bean soups? I sure do! They’re hearty, healthy, and oh-so-delectable. But I don’t always have time to make a pot from scratch. That’s where this easy recipe comes in!
You’ll have this delicious soup on the table in under 30 minutes – perfect for busy moms and cooks alike. Plus, it’s very versatile and easy to adapt to your liking.
As you know, beans are low in saturated fat and sodium, very low in cholesterol, and a great source of both protein and fiber.
They’re also budget friendly. More so if you use the dried type, but honestly, I rarely think far enough ahead to soak beans in advance. The canned ones work fine for me.
Your family is going to love this combination of black and navy beans cooked in a beefy, tomato broth for a substantial dinner soup.
🥘 Essential Ingredients
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- Olive Oil – For sauteeing the onion and garlic.
- Onion and Garlic – These common aromatics add huge background flavor to many soups and stews.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes – I typically use Hunt’s brand diced tomatoes. You may have a difference favorite brand.
- Navy or Cannellini Beans – Either works for this recipe. My go-to brand for canned beans is Bush’s.
- Black Beans – I usually lightly rinse canned black beans to prevent discoloration of the soup. It’s definitely not required.
- Beef Broth – If you have homemade beef broth, that’s fantastic. Otherwise use canned or packaged beef broth or stock.
- Fresh Parsley – It’s optional, but I enjoy the little bit of green color it adds to the soup.
- Dried Basil – Adds a little Italian background flavor.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
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🥄 How to Make Black and White Bean Soup
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion and garlic. Saute for 4 minutes or until tender.
- Add the tomatoes, beans, beef broth, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Optional – Add a splash of vinegar before serving.
💡 Tips, Variations, and Substitutes
There are literally dozens of ways to vary this recipe and make it your own! Here are a few ideas to get you going.
- No olive oil in the pantry? Use canola, vegetable, corn oil, or even butter.
- Make it vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock for the beef stock.
- For an even heartier main dish soup, add 8 ounces of chopped, cooked ham.
- Many other proteins work well. Use chicken stock in place of the beef broth and add cubed, cooked chicken.
- Make it spicy with a bit of finely diced jalapeno pepper.
- Amp up the vegetables. Add chopped carrots, peas, finely shredded cabbage, or a can of drained whole kernel corn.
- For a southwestern flair, add a teaspoon of cumin and a teaspoon of dried oregano.
- Stir a little salsa or pesto into your serving of soup.
🍽 How to Serve
I often serve simple cheese toast with this, but a nice crusty loaf of French bread, a pan of cornbread, or garlic bread would be great. Heck, just some saltine crackers would work for me! It’s also great with topped with sour cream, grated cheese, or avocado slices.
🍚 Storage Information
Store leftovers in a closed container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat over low heat or in the microwave.
❓ Questions About Black and White Bean Soup
Many bean recipes include a small amount of vinegar added near the end of the cooking time. It’s optional but does serve a specific purpose. Vinegar helps break down the indigestible sugars in beans to help with digestion (less gas). It also adds a subtle bright flavor to the finished soup.
Unless the recipe specifically says to add the beans *with their liquid,* it’s advisable to rinse canned beans before adding them to a recipe. The liquid in a can of beans is completely edible, but rinsing is advised because that liquid is primarily starch and salt. Extra starch and salt can affect the finished dish.
Sure thing! You can adapt this recipe for a slow cooker by sauteeing the garlic and onion, then adding all the ingredients to your crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Have a question or thought to share?
If you have a question about the recipe or if you’ve made it and want to share how it turned out, I would truly enjoy hearing from you. Just scroll down to leave a comment or add your star rating.
Thank you for stopping by. It means a lot to have you here.
📖 Recipe
Black and White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 29 ounces canned diced tomatoes with their juice (2 cans)
- 14.5 ounces canmed navy or cannellini beans drained (1 can)
- 14.5 ounces canned black beans drained and lightly rinsed (1 can)
- 14.5 ounces beef broth
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ¾ teaspoon dried basil or 1 tblsp. chopped fresh basil
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add onion and garlic, and saute 4 minutes or until tender.
- Add tomatoes, beans, beef broth, parsley, basil, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
- (Optional) When ready to serve, stir in the vinegar.
Notes
- Store leftovers in a closed container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat over low heat or in the microwave.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
— This post was originally published on March 2, 2010. It has been updated with new photos and additional information.
I’m Lana Stuart, an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, and lifelong cook raised deep in Southwest Georgia. I started Lana’s Cooking in 2009 to share the tried-and-true recipes I grew up with. Around here, the food is full of flavor, the traditions run deep, and there’s always room at the table.
i definitely tried this but i did spice it up a tiny bit with a can of Rotel instead of regular tomatoes and i cooked my own beans but it turned out great! i love this recipe! thank you for sharing it with the world!
Very tasty! I didn’t have a 29oz can of diced tomatoes so I used a 14.5 can of petite diced tomatoes with a can of mild Rotel. Yum!
That sounds great!
It’s about 70 degrees right now… and the low for us on Thursday is predicted to be 34 degrees. A bit of change in the weather, for sure.
This sounds just right. I’m going to check my pantry for the ingredients!
Miss P
Made this with 2 tablespoons of cilantro as well. Came out delicious. Served with grilled cheese.
Made this for lunch today. I added red pepper, kale, corn, chili powder, cumin and chipotle tobasco. It was delicious :)
Just made this tonight and it was delicious!
After looking at the sodium in all of the canned varieties of tomatoes, I couldn’t bring myself to use them for the soup. I used 5 or 6 fresh roma tomatoes and subbed veggie broth for beef broth.
I am very happy with the result! Only problem some may have with the fresh tomatoes is that the skin comes off while boiling the soup. I just picked out the skins when I came across them. I suppose you could also peel the tomatoes before if its really an issue for you.
This recipe looks great! thanks
How long would this soup last in the fridge?
I think it would probably last 2 to 3 days in the fridge.
I make bean soup with ham hocks,but this is so quick and easy.
Thanks for this recipe! I needed a simple soup to accompany some cheese puffs, and this did the trick. It was great!
Awesome recipe but I would substitute the beef broth with fresh chicken broth since I don’t eat beef.
Wow, what a gorgeous photo. Love all the vibrant colors – way to chase away the cold!
Thanks, Alta! I thought that photo turned pretty well myself. Hope you enjoy the recipe.
I’m an incurable a bean soup junkie and look forward to trying this one. Many thanks for sharing this beautiful recipe.
Mmmm, this looks delicious!
We never get snow here, but it can get cold! Why is it that bean soup always taste better to me then it sounds. Your picture looks delicious!
What a beautiful and comforting bowl of soup. Love how you served it!
Isn’t it amazing how much snowy weather the south has received this year? Weird! The soup looks marvelous and I bet is was delish!
Wish you were next door and I could run over to borrow some baking soda or something and snag a bowl of this. Yum.
Those beans look incredible & so attractive! Love the whole combo of them and your pic looks amazing too. Have a nice day!
This is my kind of soup-healthful and hearty! It doesn’t get better than that.
Do you think this soup would taste as well if made with vegetable broth rather than beef broth? I’d like to serve this but my soups need to be vegetarian.
Suzanne – I think the vegetable broth would work. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Boy this looks good on a cold wet day. How comforting.
Wow…looks colourful, nutritious and delicious. I need a bowl now to keep me warm!
Today, i set by my desk at my home/office. It’s a cloudy day, but i like these kinds of days. It’s definitely soup weather. ;-D