Smoked Cheddar White Bean Soup

When it comes to comfort food, you can’t beat a great big bowl of White Bean Soup. Cozy, creamy and SO EASY to put together.

I’m a firm believer that one can never have too many soup recipes. A few popular ones on the blog include my Tomato Basil, Pozole Verde With Chicken and Sweet Potato Chili. They’re all family favorites and I’m sure your household will love them too!

WATCH ME MAKE THIS ON INSTAGRAM REELS

INGREDIENTS FOR WHITE BEAN SOUP:

There are quite a few items that bring this soup together, but I promise that you probably already have them on hand. Seriously, I made this soup up out of items that were already in my pantry. No grocery trip needed!

Shallots or Red Onion
Garlic
Italian Seasoning + a few others
Chicken or Vegetable Stock
Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)
Greek Yogurt
Smoked Cheddar Cheese
Olive Oil
Smoked Paprika
Cayenne Pepper

I kept this recipe vegetarian the first time around… mainly because I didn’t want to go to the store to grab more ingredients. I think this recipe would be awesome with the addition of Italian sausage or crumbles of crispy bacon as a garnish. Mmmm, bacon. 😉

If you want to add some greens, chopped spinach or kale would work well in this recipe. If you left the soup chunky, added some meatballs and vegetables I’d imagine it would taste similar to an Italian wedding soup. There are endless variations to this recipe, I’m excited to see what you do with it! Make sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see all the yummies!

HOW TO MAKE WHITE BEAN SOUP:

This is seriously such a simple soup to put together. Since we’re using canned beans, everything cooks up in a matter of no time. If you’re in a weeknight rush, this is the soup for you!

SAUTÉ: Warm up some olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the shallot (or red onion), garlic and Italian seasonings. I added a tablespoon of fennel seeds since I didn’t have any sausage. This isn’t required but turned out super tasty. Cook for roughly 5 minutes, or until fragrant.
LIQUIDS: Next, you’ll add the chicken or vegetable stock. I added about 5 cups but feel free to add more or less, according to your own thickness preferences.
BEANS: Again, I didn’t feel like going to the grocery store, so I used canned chickpeas in this recipe. You could also use white cannellini beans, navy beans, or a mix of all three. They’d all taste fab here. Only have dried beans on hand? Those work too!
CHEESE: I had some smoked cheddar on hand, so that’s what I rolled with. Any melting cheese would work, feel free to play around with Pepper or Monterey Jack, mozzarella, gouda (not aged), Havarti, or whatever your little heart desires. BUT PLEASE… shred your own cheese. I know it’s an extra step, but it’s totally worth it.
GARNISHES: Sticking with my smokey theme, I made a spicy olive oil with smoked paprika and cayenne. I also wanted a little crunch, so I toasted up some pine nuts. Fresh herbs would be a nice addition, a sprinkle of parsley or thyme would taste delicious.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH SOUP:

These Air Fryer Garlic Cheddar Drop Biscuits are the perfect pairing for sopping up the last little droplets at the end of your bowl. They’re incredibly easy to make and taste oh-so-grand. Other recipes you might like include:

Garlic Naan Homemade Flour Tortillas

My Grandma’s Super Easy Recipe for Bierocks

Old School Tomato Bruschetta

Super Fluffy Homemade Pretzel Bites

Smoked Cheddar White Bean Soup

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

When it comes to comfort food, you can't beat a great big bowl of White Bean Soup. Cozy, creamy and SO EASY to put together.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

FOR THE SOUP:

¼ cup Olive Oil
½ cup Minced Shallots or Red Onion
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 tsp. Dried Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. Fennel Seeds
3 (15.5 oz can) Chickpeas, drained
4 - 5 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
½ cup 2% or 4% Greek Yogurt
8 oz. Smoked Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Salt + Pepper, to taste
Toasted Pine Nuts, optional

FOR THE SPICY OLIVE OIL:

½ cup Olive Oil
2 tsp. Smoked Paprika
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

Instructions

Warm up the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the shallot (or red onion), garlic, Italian seasonings and fennel seeds. Sauté for 5 minutes, or until fragrant. Meanwhile, shred the smoked cheddar cheese and set aside.
Gently add drained beans into the stockpot and then pour over the chicken or vegetable stock. Feel free to add more or less, according to your own thickness preferences.
Simmer with the lid off for 10 minutes and then turn off the heat. Add the Greek yogurt.
Carefully purée all ingredients with an immersion blender. Fold in the smoked cheddar and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
If you'd like to make the spicy olive oil, simply heat up the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. Whisk together until fragrant, about 2 - 3 minutes.
Serve immediately with the spicy olive oil and toasted pine nuts. Enjoy!

NOTES ON THIS RECIPE:

If you don’t have an immersion blender, this soup can be puréed in a blender. Work in batches, if needed, and do not place the lid on all the way (as it will pop off with the steam created by the soup).
To leave the soup chunky, simply reduce the chicken stock to your desired consistency. I’d also skip the Greek yogurt and opt for heavy cream. The yogurt needs to be pureed, otherwise it’ll leave little chunks throughout your soup. It will be flavorful but won’t look pretty.
This recipe was inspired by this soup that I saw in NYT Cooking. Their recipe doesn’t call for cheese and includes celery, rosemary along with half-and-half.