Name: Potato and White Bean Soup
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling; 1 medium size parsnip, about 8-12 ounces; 1 small to medium size yellow onion; 3-5 cloves of garlic; 2 pounds potatoes, I used Yukon Gold; The zest from one or two large lemons, to taste; 1 tablespoon sumac; 4 cups vegetable broth, or Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base mixed with water; One 15-ounce can white beans, drained; One 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained; The juice from one large lemon, more to taste; Salt and ground black pepper, to taste; Chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, optional, for garnish

Jump to Recipe

This potato and white bean soup is quick and easy to prepare, rich and creamy and dairy free, hearty, nutritious, and filling, and vegan. All that and less than $2 a serving. Sometimes I guess you really can have it all.

A bowl of potato and white bean soup topped with crispy chickpeas.

SUMMARIZE AND SAVE THIS RECIPE ON:

ChatGPT

Hello. My name is Rebecca and I am a soup person.

I have met people who wrinkle their nose at soup. Who say crazy things like, I don't like soup. Or, Soup is not a meal.

To me, this is like saying, I don't like water. Water is not a drink.

And yes, I realize some people actually don't like to drink water but it is essential to our survival, and here's where I'm finding the connection.

Soup is essential to our survival. Ok, ok... soup is essential to MY survival.

The thing about soup is that it can be anything you want it to be. Thick and hearty, rich and meaty, creamy, brothy, filled with vegetables, or packed with grains. Soup is what you make it so if you don't like soup, you just haven't found they kind of soup that's right for you.

I don't think I've ever met a soup I didn't like, but I lean heavily towards the kind that you can almost eat with a fork. A good brothy soup is fine. But, most of the time I want something thick and hearty, and filled with many, many layers of flavors and textures.

And, like everything else I like to cook, I want my soup to be packed with flavor. Bland soup has no place here.

Also, I'd like it served with buttery homemade dinner rolls, please and thank you.

As every soup should, this one comes with plenty of options. You can puree some or all of it for a rich, thick, creamy texture that requires precisely NO cream. Or skip that step and serve it brothy, the tender potatoes and creamy white beans swimming freely in their lemony sumac flavored broth.

Also, I've kept this recipe simple, affordable, and plant based but there are so many things you could add to this soup if you are so inclined, like sausage or bacon.

-Rebecca

SEND THIS RECIPE

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

This site is protected by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Jump to:

Ingredients needed to prepare this recipe
Additions and substitutions
Step-by-step photos and instructions
Serving suggestions
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

Ingredients needed to prepare this recipe

All the ingredients needed to make potato and white bean soup.

Cost of ingredients: $11 total/ $1.80 per serving

I purchased these ingredients at a Meijer's grocery store in Michigan. The cost will vary depending on where you are and where you shop.

Extra virgin olive oil
A parsnip, or carrots if you prefer.
A yellow onion, or any variety of onion.
A few cloves of garlic, as much or as little as you like.
Potatoes. I used Yukon gold potatoes, but use any variety you like. If you opt for Yukon Gold potatoes, there's no need to peel them because their skins are quite thin and delicate. If using russet potatoes or red potatoes, you'll probably want to peel them.
One or two lemons, depending on how lemony you want your soup to be. This recipe calls for both lemon zest and fresh lemon juice.
Sumac has a tart, lemony flavor that's absolutely delicious in this soup. It's also a relatively inexpensive spice, so if you don't have a jar already, it's worth the small investment. After using it in this soup, use it to make this super easy Skillet Chicken and Potatoes. Not all grocery stores cary it (in the U.S. at least), but it's easy to order online. The brand currently in my kitchen is Ziyad. I purchased a 5.5 ounce jar at Meijer in Michigan for about $4.
Vegetable broth OR Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base mixed with water, which is what I used.
White beans, any variety, cannellini, navy, or great northern.
Salt and pepper
A can of chickpeas (not pictured). Topping this soup with crispy roasted chickpeas was a stroke of inspiration I had during the photoshoot for this recipe. The crispy chickpeas add a gorgeous salty crunch to this creamy soup that I absolutely love and I think you will too.
Italian flat leaf parsley, optional, for serving

Additions and substitutions

Instead of roasted chickpeas: If you still want to add some crunch, but don't want to roast a tray of chickpeas, top bowls of soup with croutons instead. Making your own croutons is easy, especially if you have some leftover bread that's on the stale side. Add enough olive oil to a skillet to generously coat the bottom. Set the pan over medium heat. Tear the bread into bite size pieces and add it to the hot skillet. Toast the bread, stirring and turning the pieces from time to time, until they are golden brown and crispy.
Use carrots instead of parsnips if that's what you have or what you prefer. Either work great!
I like to top most kinds of soup with a handful of fresh herbs. For this soup, I opted for Italian parsley, but other fresh herbs will also work. Try it with cilantro, sage, or oregano instead.
Additional garnishes: Serve this soup topped with chopped scallions or chives, roasted pumpkin seeds, or a handful of shredded parmesan cheese.
Add some meat: This soup would be so, so good with sausage or bacon! Chop bacon into bite size pieces and cook it in the saucepan before you start the soup, until crispy. Then use the bacon fat instead of olive oil to cook the vegetables. You can do the same thing with sausage, but depending on how lean the sausage is, you might want to add some oil as well. Cook the sausage until browned, then remove it from the saucepan and proceed with the recipe. Add the sausage at the end, after puréing the soup. If using bacon, top bowls of soup with the crispy bacon.

Step-by-step photos and instructions

Chopped parsnips and onions cooking in a saucepan.

Chop up the parsnip and the onion and cook them in a saucepan with some olive oil until the vegetables are soft.

Potatoes and vegetables cooking in a saucepan with sumac.

Add some garlic, potatoes, lemon zest and sumac and cook, stirring, for a couple of minute.

Potatoes and white beans simmer in a pan of vegetable broth.

Add the vegetable broth and the beans. Turn the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook until the potatoes are soft.

Chickpeas spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet.

While the soup simmers, drain the can of chickpeas and spread them out onto a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Blot any excess moisture from the chickpeas and remove any loose skins. Spread the chickpeas into an even layer on parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roasted, crispy chickpeas on a baking sheet.

Roast the chickpeas in the oven until they are dark golden brown, crispy, and gorgeous.

Potato and white bean soup in the bowl of a blender.

At this point, you have a couple of choices: Season the soup with lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and serve. Or, puree half of the soup in a blender. Or, puree all of the soup.

For the photos you see here, I pureed half the soup in a blender.

Important tip: If the lid of your blender does not have steam vents, leave the lid lifted from the bowl of the blender just enough to allow steam to vent out. Steam that is compressed inside a blender can cause the lid to blow off and hot soup to fly out.

A pot of potato and white bean soup, simmering on the stovetop.

Pour the pureed soup back into the saucepan.

Taste and add as much lemon juice, salt and pepper as you like.

Serve hot, drizzled with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, some chopped fresh Italian parsley, an extra sprinkle of black pepper, and crispy roasted chickpeas.

A bowl of potato and white bean soup topped with crispy chickpeas on a table next to the soup pot and a plate of dinner rolls.

Serving suggestions

This is the kind of soup that's hearty and nourishing all on it's own, but I still like to eat it with warm bread and maybe some more veggies.

On the day I took the photos you see here, I made a batch of my favorite homemade rolls to serve with it. These dinner rolls have been a staple in my family for decades and they were the perfect accompaniment to warm bowls of creamy potato and white bean soup.

Someone dipping part of a dinner roll into a bowl of potato and white bean soup.

If you'd like to add a salad or other veggies, here are four suggestions:

If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to leave a comment and rate it!

📖 Recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Potato and White Bean Soup

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
1 medium size parsnip, about 8-12 ounces
1 small to medium size yellow onion
3-5 cloves of garlic
2 pounds potatoes, I used Yukon Gold
The zest from one or two large lemons, to taste
1 tablespoon sumac
4 cups vegetable broth, or Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base mixed with water
One 15-ounce can white beans, drained
One 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
The juice from one large lemon, more to taste
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, optional, for garnish

Instructions

Heat the oven to 425° F (218° C).
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large saucepan, dutch oven, or braiser. Peel the parsnip and chop it into pieces that are roughly the size of the white beans. Remove the papery skin from the onion and chop it into pieces that are roughly the same size as the parsnips. Add the chopped parsnip and onion to the pan and set it over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring every now and then, until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes.
While the onions and parsnips cook, remove the papery skins from 3-5 cloves of garlic (depending on how garlicky you want your soup) and chop them into very small pieces. Chop the potatoes into bite size pieces. If using Yukon gold, there is no need to peel. If using russet potatoes or red potatoes, peel them before chopping.
Add the garlic, potatoes, lemon zest and sumac to the pan with the onion and parsnip. (*See note.) Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Add the vegetable broth and the beans. Turn the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover the pot, and cook until the potatoes are soft.
While the soup simmers, roast the chickpeas: Spread the chickpeas them out onto a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Blot any excess moisture from the chickpeas and remove any loose skins. Spread the chickpeas into an even layer on parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss the chickpeas around on the baking sheet to coat with oil then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place the pan in the preheated oven and roast until the chickpeas are dark golden brown and crispy.
When the potatoes are soft, remove the saucepan from the heat. You have a couple of choices: Season the soup with lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and serve. Or, puree half of the soup in a blender. Or, puree all of the soup. (*See note)
Ladle as much of the soup as you like into a high powered blender and puree until smooth. If the lid of your blender does not have steam vents, leave the lid lifted from the bowl of the blender just enough to allow steam to vent out. Steam that is compressed inside a blender can cause the lid to blow off and hot soup to fly out. Pour the pureed soup back into the saucepan.
Taste and add as much lemon juice, salt and pepper as you like.
Serve hot, drizzled with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, extra ground black pepper, the crispy chickpeas, and a handful of chopped parsley if you like.

Notes

How much lemon zest you use is up to you. I like a strong lemon flavor, so I used the zest from two large lemons. If you want a more mild lemon flavor, just use the zest from one lemon.
Pureeing half of the soup is what I did for the photos you see here. The effect is a creamy soup that still has plenty of texture, thanks to the remaining chunks of potatoes and white beans. But, if you want your soup to be completely creamy, puree the entire pan of soup. If you'd rather keep the potatoes and white beans whole, swimming in their flavorful broth, skip the step where the soup is pureed, season it with lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and serve.