Vegan Oil-free Hearty Italian White Bean Basil Soup is full of Italian herbs and fresh basil and is super hearty thanks to protein-rich white beans and hearty rice. This will have your house smelling absolutely amazing too!
Oh, what an exciting post I have for you all today! It’s a new year with lots of exciting things to come on the blog. First up, is this Hearty Italian White Bean Basil Soup! Vegan, gluten-free and oil-free and just 8 ingredients! I wrote this recipe for my favorite home store ever, Pottery Barn. When they contacted me to create a healthy, simple recipe to kick off the new year, I jumped at the chance!
Everybody is always making New Year’s resolutions and thinking about diet changes or exercise routines. Most people think that you have to eat nothing but boring salads to achieve a healthier lifestyle. Well, I wanted to showcase a recipe that was much more interesting than salad, and at this time of year when it’s cold, a soup is perfect.
This soup is incredibly high in protein and nearly fat-free. It is not only delicious, but a healthy start to the new year.
HOW TO MAKE ITALIAN WHITE BEAN BASIL SOUP
You will need just 8 simple ingredients:
- brown rice
- low sodium vegetable broth
- yellow onion
- garlic cloves
- tomatoes
- Italian seasoning
- white beans
- fresh basil
First, prepare the rice by bringing 1 cup broth to a boil and then add the rice, salt and stir and immediately turn to the lowest heat setting and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes or until all the broth is evaporated.
While the rice is cooking, chop your vegetables. Add the onion and garlic to a large pot over medium heat with ONLY 1/2 cup of the broth and sauté for 5-8 minutes until tender, stirring frequently.
Add the remaining 4 1/2 cups broth, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and chili powder. Stir well and bring to a high boil. Once boiling, turn down to medium-high and cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, cover and cook on medium-low for another 10 minutes.
Lastly, add the drained beans, fresh basil and cooked rice. Stir well and bring back to a boil. Once boiling, let it cook on high for 5-10 more mins until heated through. Taste and add any additional spices if needed. Serve immediately and garnish with more fresh basil, if desired.
This soup has Italian herbs throughout, a fresh tomato base, hearty white beans, textured rice and fresh basil. You will feel full and satisfied and not bored by it, I promise. I used Pottery Barn’s gorgeous Vintage Wood Bowls. I wanted to serve the soup in something other than your expected white bowls. I’m a huge fan of distressed, worn woods and pieces and these bowls are just beautiful.
A huge thank you to Pottery Barn for sponsoring this post. Be sure to check out Pottery Barn and blog to see this recipe featured.
Can’t wait to hear what you think of this Hearty Italian White Bean Basil Soup!
Hearty Italian White Bean Basil Soup
Ingredients
Recipe has been updated to include optional tomato sauce for a richer tomato flavor. It makes it even MORE amazing!!
- 1/2 cup (72g) uncooked long grain brown rice + 1 cup low-sodium broth
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
FOR THE SOUP
- 5 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup (240g) tomato sauce
- 1 packed cup finely diced yellow onion
- 4 large garlic cloves (1 large tbsp minced)
- 2 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper (I added 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper)
- Optional: I love a little heat to everything so I added a heaping tsp chili powder, or pinch chili flakes would work too)
- two 15 oz low-sodium canned white beans, drained & rinsed
- 1/2 packed cup finely chopped fresh basil (don't leave this out, it really brings it all together!)
Note
- I used an Italian spice blend that you can find at any grocery store. Mine is a combo of basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, savory, fennel, sage and marjoram. Some versions have red pepper or salt, so I would avoid those as it could make the soup really spicy.
Instructions
- In a medium pot, prepare the rice first by bringing 1 cup broth to a boil and then add the rice, salt and stir and immediately turn to the lowest heat setting and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes or until all the broth is evaporated. Return the lid and let it sit covered 10 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, chop your vegetables. Add the onion and garlic to a large pot over medium heat with ONLY 1/2 cup of the broth and sauté for 5-8 minutes until tender, stirring frequently. Add the remaining 4 1/2 cups broth, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and chili powder. Stir well and bring to a high boil. Once boiling, turn down to medium-high and cover and cook for 10 minutes. This really infuses the broth with flavor.
- Now add the tomatoes, cover and cook on medium-low for another 10 minutes.
- Lastly, add the drained beans, fresh basil and cooked rice. Stir well and bring back to a boil. Once boiling, let it cook on high for 5-10 more mins until heated through. Taste and add any additional spices if needed. Serve immediately and garnish with more fresh basil, if desired.
Notes
- Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, nut-free
- Nutrition per serving: 271.4 calories, 14.12 g protein, .6 g fat, 51.54 carbs, 6.2 g sugars
Thank you for your yummy and easy recipes! Even my toddler liked this soup! I accidentally bought vegan protein broth (basically veggie broth with soy milk as the base), but it made a very creamy delicious version!
Wonderful Katie, so happy to hear that it was such a hit! Thank you for the feedback!
I made this soup/stew and brought it for lunch. It is so good! So easy to prepare and delicious.
This soup was fabulous!! I am going to keep it in my rotation.
Thank you Dena for the lovely review!!
Any idea how I could adapt this for the Instant Pot? Looks so good!
Hi Jodi, I’m sorry, I don’t idn an instant pot, so I have no idea. However, this soup is so fast to come together, it really isn’t necessary!
This is really good. I replaced the rice with 1/2 cup of uncooked lentils and cooked it all in my Instant Pot for 10 minutes with only half of the basil. Talk about flavor! This will be a new staple in our house.
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! And lentils sound lovely!
The soup is absolutely sensational! And the house smells so good. Thank you so much for an excellent recipe and a nutritious meal. And let me add that it was really easy to make
I love the look of this recipe and can’t wait to make it but I get a little confused with American recipes.
I want to know when you say ‘tomato sauce’ are you referring to tomato puree or passata? Over here tomato sauce is a condiment lol. Thank you 🙂
Hi! I mean Passata!
I’ve made this recipe several times, and it never disappoints. It’s perfect for any occasion – for meal prep for work lunches, for your friend who’s recovering from an illness, or even tonight to serve my parents while they were staying with me. It’s my go-to recipe! Thanks so much Brandi!
I was looking for a way to utilize the last of my fresh basil, and this recipe fit the bill nicely. The only change I made was to chop in some leftover (already grilled) Beyond Italian sausage. The whole thing came together beautifully, thank you!
Great idea to use sausage! Yum! Thank you Barb for making it and leaving a review!
I’m trying to make this recipe with what I already have. I have tomato paste instead of tomato sauce. Should I thin it out or just use less? I’ve made this recipe as is before and it’s AMAZING!
It will need to be the same liquid amount as tomato sauce for the soup to have the right consistency.