Italian Endive Bean Soup! Indulge in a bowl of Italian Endive Bean Soup and let the flavors whisk you away to the charming streets of Sicily!

Packed with the aromatic richness of classic Italian herbs and spices, this healthy Italian Endive Bean Soup offers a comforting and satisfying experience. The gentle bitterness of the endive perfectly complements the creamy goodness of the beans, creating a beautiful harmony of flavors that will transport you to the sun-drenched hills of Italy with every spoonful. This healthy nod to the traditional Italian Endive Soup is a must-try!

Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.

Hi there, Ameera here!

Dad loved this soup. After bringing home fresh endive from the grocery store, Dad couldn’t stop reminiscing about the fragrant soup of his childhood.

We worked hard to recreate that nostalgic flavor, and when Dad took his first spoonful, his eyes lit up. He said it was just like the soup he remembered from long ago.

I invite you to bring a taste of Sicily into your own kitchen and create new memories with our Italian Endive Bean Soup – a tribute to my dad’s enduring love for his Italian roots. Mangia!

Origins

Endive, a slightly bitter leafy green, has been a fundamental ingredient in Italian cuisine for centuries, and when combined with beans, it creates a hearty and satisfying meal that embodies the rustic and comforting nature of Italian cooking.

The soup’s origins are widespread throughout different regions of Italy, each offering unique variations, from simple, peasant-style renditions to those elevated with aromatic herbs, spices, and sometimes meat. Passed down through generations, this beloved comfort food holds a special place in the hearts of many Italian families, reflecting the essence of traditional Italian cuisine and its ability to evoke warmth and nostalgia.

Tips for Success:

• Flavor Profile: This recipe is a Whole Food Plant Based nod to the traditional Italian White Bean Endive Soup which uses chicken stock, lots of olive oil, garlic, and endive. It is a delicious soup. If you are not a fan of endive, then perhaps skip this recipe as you will definitely taste that slightly bitter loveliness in this soup.
• Endive: We used 4 packed cups of chopped endive in this soup. Endive is a bitter green, not overly so, but pleasantly bitter.  If you are not a fan of endive, you can potentially substitute another green, but the dining experience will be different, and you may need to compensate by adding other ingredients. Endive is rich in potassium which plays an important role in the function of nerves, muscles, kidneys, and heart. It is also high in Vitamin K and folate.
• Lemon Juice and Red Wine Vinegar: The lemon juice adds brightness, and the red wine vinegar brings in an acid to compliment the flavors.  If unsure on the red wine vinegar, start with ½ teaspoon and build up from there.
• Flavors to Marry: Make sure you allow at least 5 minutes for the flavors to marry after removing from the stovetop.  The flavors continue to develop once the soup slightly cools.
• Cannellini Beans: This recipe has 2 cans of cannellini beans. One can is in the soup broth and the other can is mashed into a paste which is then added to the soup mixture where it dissolves and thickens the soup.
• Cannellini Bean Substitutions: Feel free to use your favorite white beans in this recipe.
• Dried Thyme Crushed Leaves: If you can’t find dried crushed thyme leaves, you can use ground thyme, but use half the amount.
• Baking Soda: Baking soda is often used as a neutralizer for dishes that contain a lot of acidity, typically from tomatoes.  We use it in this dish to remove some of the tomato acidity (from the petite diced tomatoes) without losing the tomatoey flavor. When you add it, the mixture may bubble up, then settle down as it neutralizes the acidity. However, if you prefer that ‘tinny’ flavor that comes from canned tomatoes, then leave out the baking soda or perhaps use a tiny pinch.
• Pasta: The traditional Italian soup typically uses small-cut pasta, but you can use any small pasta like orzo, little stars, couscous, etc. Make extra to store in the fridge.  See note below on From Fridge to Table.
• Pasta Substitutions: Feel free to substitute the pasta for cooked quinoa or rice.
• Amount of Pasta Used: Measure with your heart.
• Cumin: The cumin in this recipe is barely there, but it adds some warm earthiness to the soup.
• Soup to Pasta Ratio: This soup is heavy on the pasta with just enough broth to make it a soup.
• Italian Seasoning: We used store-bought Italian Seasoning. It rounds out the flavors nicely.  You can make your own Italian Seasoning if you wish.
• Vegan Parmesan Cheese: The traditional soup typically uses a heft amount of Parmesan Cheese.  We feel that it really makes the soup.  We used our recipe for Vegan Parmesan Cheese; however, feel free to use your favorite recipe.
• Keeping the Pasta separate from the Soup: Pasta is thirsty.  It will soak up a lot of liquids and make for a less brothy soup.  Additionally, if using a gluten-free pasta, it really tends to get mushy.  That is why we suggest cooking the pasta separately and placing it in your soup bowl, then ladle the hot soup over top.  This is how most restaurants serve soups that have pasta in them.  They keep the broth and pasta separated until ready to serve.  This is also how this soup is traditionally served in Italy.
• From Refrigerator to Table: This soup if excellent for meal preps.  Simply store the pasta separately from the broth. Take a portion of refrigerated pasta and put it in a fine sieve strainer, run it under hot tap water, then place it in your soup bowl. Ladle the soup broth over top and microwave until hot and serve with a generous sprinkle of Vegan Parmesan Cheese.
• . If you do not want to use the microwave, simply follow the same instructions about the pasta, but place the broth in a small stock pot, heat until boiling, then ladle the hot soup over top of the pasta and serve with a generous sprinkle of Vegan Parmesan Cheese.

Leftovers and Freezing:

Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator.  Store in a covered container.

This soup can be frozen.

Pantry Products:

• Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients. Feel free to use your favorite brand of vegetable broth.
• Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

Kitchen Products:

• Large stockpot with a lid

If you try this comforting soup, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.

Italian Endive Bean Soup

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 10 Minutes
• Cook Time: 45 Minutes
• Total Time: 55 Minutes
• Yield: 4-6 Servings 1x
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Italian Inspired
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Packed with the aromatic richness of classic Italian herbs and spices, this healthy Italian Endive Bean Soup offers a comforting and satisfying experience.

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Ingredients

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Base Ingredients:

• 1 large yellow onion, fine dice
• 2 carrots, sliced into penny rounds
• 1 celery rib, fine dice
• 2 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth *
• 5 cups water
• 1 – [ 14 oz. can ] petite diced tomatoes
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda (optional) *

Additional Ingredients:

• 2 – [ 15 oz. can ] cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, divided *
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice *
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• 2 Tablespoons Vegan Parmesan Cheese *
• ½ teaspoon pure maple syrup (optional)
• 2 teaspoon red wine vinegar *

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried crushed thyme leaves *
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ + 1/8 teaspoon cumin *
• ¼ + 1/8 teaspoon dried ground fennel seeds (optional)
• Large pinch dried ground rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ to 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt (+/-) *
• 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
• Pinch to ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes 

Other Ingredients:

• 4 to 5 cups packed, chopped endive *
• Cooked small cut pasta *

Optional Toppings:

• Chopped fresh parsley
• Sprinkle Vegan Parmesan Cheese

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Instructions

1. Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients (except the bay leaves and red pepper flakes) in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
2. In a large stock pot, add the diced onions, carrots, and celery, sauté over medium-high heat until the veggies begin to soften, approximately 7 to 9 minutes, stirring periodically to prevent burning. Add a tablespoon or so of water if they start to stick and/or to prevent burning.
3. Add the minced garlic, sauté for 30 seconds, then add all the remaining Base Ingredients (except the baking soda) and Spice/Herb Mix, stir well to combine, then tuck in the bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower to a low-boiling simmer, stir to combine.  Simmer for 15 to 25 minutes or until the carrots, and celery are perfectly tender, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in the baking soda, simmer several minutes.
5. In the meantime, boil the pasta according to package directions, rinse well with cold water, set aside.
6. Once the carrots, and celery are tender, remove and discard the bay leaves, then add all the Additional Ingredients (except reserve one can of cannellini beans), and the endive.
7. Take that one can of cannellini beans, drain and rinse, then place in a small bowl and mash really well into a paste-like mixture, then stir it into the soup broth to dissolve and thicken the broth. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, add the crushed red pepper flakes, stir well, cover with a lid, then remove from the stove to allow the flavors to marry for 5 minutes.
8. To serve, add a generous portion of the cooked pasta to the bottom of a soup bowl, ladle the hot soup broth over top, sprinkle generously with Vegan Parmesan Cheese and some freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!

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Notes

*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.

*Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Servings:  4 to 6

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