Tuscan Bean Soup with Shrimp

By KimberleyH

Ingredients

• 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 3 cans (14.5 Ounce) Cans Great Norther Beans, Drained And Rinsed
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 2 teaspoons Dried Oregano
• 1/4 cup Tomato Paste
• 3/4 cups Dry White Wine
• 1 can (28 Ounces) Whole Or Diced Tomatoes
• 6 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 bunch Kale (more If Desired)
• Plenty Of Torn Fresh Basil
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 1-1/2 pound Raw Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined
• 1/4 cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
• Fresh Parmesan Shavings

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 55mins
Adapted from thepioneerwoman.com

Preparation

Step 1

I added sauteed shrimp to the top of the finished soup, which might be a bit weird. Cooked, sliced Italian sausage or even strips of grilled chicken would probably make more sense. But being weird just isn’t something I wake up fearing on any given day, and it really did turn out to be a yummy bowl of soup.

And some garlic into a pot w/ some olive oil over medium-high heat.

Stir it around and cook it for a couple of minutes…

Stir this around and cook it for a minute or two, just to fry the paste a bit and release some lovely tomato-pasty flavor, and to get the bottom of the pan nice and dirty.

Next, throw in some red pepper flakes and some dried oregano, then stir it around and cook it for about 30 seconds or so. Maybe 34 seconds. But not 35; whatever you do, do not cook it for 35 seconds!

Next, and this is always my favorite part, pour in a good amount of dry white wine.

Mmmm. Stir this around with a whisk, scraping the bottom of the pan and giving thanks for such a blessed aroma.

Then pour in the canned tomatoes, juice and all.

Pour the beans into the soup, then stir them around to combine.

Then pour in a good amount of chicken stock.

Stir and let this simmer for 20 minutes or so, adding a little more broth if you think it needs it.

While it’s simmering, heat some butter in a medium skillet over medium high heat. When it’s hot, throw in the shrimp and parsley…

Sprinkle with salt, then toss/stir them around to cook until the shrimp are totally opaque and starting to turn golden, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the stove and set aside.

Stir it around and watch it shrivel and shrink and become one with the zuppa.

Then add some basil. I grabbed a whole bunch of leaves, then ripped them with my own two hands and threw it into the soup. Then I realized I didn’t take a photo of myself doing that, so I grabbed a basil leaf and held it near the pot to represent the fact that I’d just added basil to the soup.

Taste the soup, adding more salt and pepper (or more red pepper flakes for heat) if you think it needs it, then just let it simmer.

When the soup is perfectamundo, add it all to a large serving bowl and top with the cooked shrimp. (Or of course, you can ladle it into individual bowls and place 3 to 4 shrimp on top.)

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic and stir to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir to cook about 2 minutes, getting lots of flavor in the bottom of the pan. Stir in red pepper flakes and dried oregano; stir and cook for another 30 seconds.

Pour in wine and whisk, scraping the bottom of the pan a bit as you go. Allow this to bubble up and reduce, cooking until the wine is reduced by half.

Add canned tomatoes. Drain and rinse beans, then add to pot. Pour in chicken broth. Stir to combine and allow it to simmer for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste.

While the soup is simmering, cook the shrimp: melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high (or high) heat. Throw in the shrimp and chopped parsley and toss to cook until no longer opaque, about 4 minutes. Season with salt. Set aside.

Rinse the kale and tear it into chunks. Stir into soup. (It'll shrink quite a bit, so don't be afraid when you first add it!) Add a bunch of torn basil and stir. Allow the soup to simmer for another 5 minutes, tasting and adding salt and pepper (or even more red pepper flakes) as needed.

Add big, fat Parmesan or Romano shavings and more torn basil at the end. Utterly divine!

I love soup too! This is going on my must make list!(with a few variations for my low sodium diet

Oh heck. I have to make this tonight. The romano shavings sold me!

So fun to see your post to Ree-she introduced me to you through her cookie making contest (although I didn’t win) and I check out your website all the time. Some day I will try and make your cookies! Happy New Year.

Wow…This looks amazing! Definitely adding soup to this week’s menu!

–>Is it terrible that I see all the ingredients lined up and decide I’ll never make it before even reading?

Yum, Ree. Can’t wait to make this! My only ethical problem is that I have a hard time buying basil, because I grow so much of it in the summer! I wish I had kept some or started some early seedlings in the greenhouse. Oh well, ethics are being thrown out the window–must make this soup!

Woohoo, what a wonderful dish to serve up on a cold winter’s afternoon sittin’ round the old homesteads fireplace. Girl…I’m swippin’ this one!

I bet you could mix in cooked turkey (my big leftover bag would be happy) too.

Kale and white beans are a match made in heaven. Do you really need the extra protein of the shrimp, though? But it makes for a heady addition. I might try Italian sausage instead, as you suggested.

Also love how easy it’d be to make this dairy free (we have allergies in the house). Some of your recipes I’m forced to just gaze at longingly…

Add me to the Kale is my Boyfriend list!

I make a tortellini, white bean and kielbasa soup with lots of kale in it. Actually, almost any recipe that calls for spinach can be switched out for kale as a way to mix it up.

Okay this is just my opinion….I’m definitely NOT a wine expert. For this soup, I would use a dry white wine, a.k.a. pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc or pinot gris are the ones I can find in most grocery stores. Don’t use a chardonnay tho (so I’ve been told) and definitely not a SWEET white wine. As far as brand….I typically don’t spend more than $10 and I’ve had really good luck finding wines that taste good. Right now my favorite is the one with the kangaroo on the front of the bottle….the name escapes me, sorry! If you are lucky enough to have a specialty liquor store in your town, they can point you in the right direction. Some larger grocery stores also have staff that can assist you. I used to just substitute stock if a recipe called for wine because I had no clue what to look for or how to even ask without feeling silly so don’t feel like the lone ranger, by any means! Wine definitely adds a lot of flavor to your cooking AND the alcohol cooks out so give it a try. OH and I just checked…the kangaroo wine is “Yellow Tail”.

Can I just say the shrimp addition has me intrigued. Never even thought of putting them in bean soup. Looking forward to dinner tonight!

Oh, I’m a soup addict too. It’s 14 degrees this morning in New York, and this has triggered my maniacal soup-making-behaviors for the season. This soup sounds delicious — simple ingredients, and we all should be eating more beans and kale. I plan on trying this, but substituting grilled chicken or shrimp for anything sauteed in butter. I love butter, but try to use it in large quantities only when its flavor is important to the recipe.

Thanks for the soup recipe….I’d be happy to have a new soup recipe every day until spring. Oh, and maybe some pot roast, or or or…short ribs, or anything simmered and braised for hours. Oh yum.

I love the addition of the shrimp. I like to make this with meatballs.

Would you mind if I stole your boyfriend Ree? No, seriously. This recipe is moving up to the top of my must make now list!

Can’t wait to make this. I can eat soup everyday!

I’m not sure the shrimp would ever make it from the pan to the soup…but I will try to control myself.

Oh my gosh, I know exactly what you mean about kale! My best friend recently had to go on an iodine free diet for health reasons and for similar reasons she couldn’t come in the kitchen so I had to make her dinner and I made soup with kale and was incredibly impressed at how well it held up! The soup was still dreadful, as iodine is apparently the secret star in all good-tasting foods, but still, quite good kale.

Tuscan Bean soup is one of my families all time fav’s! I can’t wait to make your version for them , the guys will be thrilled

What size pot do you use to make all your soups? I’m about to buy one and I go back and forth between the 7.5 quart and 9 quart pot!

Aubri, How many people are you feeding? I have both sizes, it just depends on the number of people at my table that night, lol. Either one makes a lot of soup, so you would be fine with whichever one you choose.

Listing out the ingredients I am missing as we speak. Always looking for new and somewhat healthy soup recipes to make – I make a big pot every weekend, all winter long. Hub works out of town and takes frozen stuff for his week’s worth of meals, and soup is the meal of choice for lunch, so I keep a big variety on hand.

Heather of Kitchen Concoctions

I will definitely be making this soup in the near future. Also wanted to add that I LOVE LOVE LOVE your soup bowls and must have them. Can you please tell me who makes them? Many thanks.

looks fabulous and definately something i would cook. i love soups, anything goes and i can hardly mess them up. btw – i’m not even curious about why your wine and whiskey are always in your bedside table. much love Ree! happy new year!

Do you think if I substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock it would make a huge difference? or do I need to add anything to get a good flavor (while keeping it vegetarian)? Thanks!

Speaking of Kale….have you tried it fried? Just slice and fry for 30 to 45 seconds. Drain and lightly salt. Seriously addicting!

I made this tonight. I had almost everything in the house and just had to run to get the herbs. It turned out very nicely but I don’t understand why you cook the shrimp separately rather than just putting the cleaned shrimp into the broth. I have made soup with shrimp before it turns out fine that way. Plus one less pan and no added butter.

Sounds yummy & it’s cold so I made it. Didn’t have everything on hand, so I’ve got a mix of black & northern beans. Also threw in some hard cheese rinds – the lady I buy it from at the farmers market suggested that one.

omg, I LOVE kale in soups…yes yes yes! and red pepper flakes are totally the perfect kind of spicy heat for this soup. yum!

Love the Tuscan Bean Soup, one of my cold weather standbys.. have always used chicken and sliced sausage… will try it with the shrimp… I am one fortunate lady, my daughter gave me your cookbook as a Christmas gift…. she has already been down to my house to ‘flip’ through it… I know what she’s doing… she thinks I won’t notice if it suddenly appears in her kitchen… Seriously, this cookbook is a real delight, not only for the ‘mouth-watering’ recipes – your photography is amazing… my 5 1/2 yr old granddaughter loves the horses & Charlie.. Thanks for helping make my Christmas special…. now, where did that PW Cookbook go???

I made this soup tonight and LOVED it! Best soup I have made this winter hands down! I did not use shrimp instead I added ground Sweet Italian Chicken sausage that I browned in a chunks and sprinkled over the top. Will be making this again….will try shrimp when it’s not over $14 a lb

I make a version of this soup I got from Giada DeLaurentis. I use sweet Italian sausage in my version and I brown it with the onion, garlic and chopped carrots~yes, carrots! I also use Cannelini beans (sp?) and pastina pasta in it. It’s perfect with a slice of buttered Tuscan bread on a cold winter evening. I can’t wait to try your version only minus the shrimp. I’m a shrimp hater….have tried it a million times in a million different ways and just can’t get past the texture. Ughh! I’ll probably use the sweet Italian sausage in my version. Thanks Ree!

YUMMY! But too bad my partners allergic to prawns…maybe I’ll make this for my sister instead

This looks completely wonderful! Seems like the perfect way to make it through the rest of winter!

Leave the typo! It made me laugh, thinking of the Fruit Loops bird and then the infamous why-would-anyone-bother-to-do-this turducken and then I came back from my mental spin and realized that this really looks like a good one to make to day….so off to the market for shrimp!

I made this last night! I had kale and was planning on making something similar and decided to try your recipe. Delicious! It had such great flavor. My husband was a huge fan. I will make this again and again! and again….and again…. yummm….

I thought this recipe looked good and it certainly is! I did add just a touch of lemon juice and 1 cup of grated Romano cheese into the broth. Then I grated a small touch of cheese over the top of the soup when served.

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