Lemony White Bean Potato Soup
This lemony white bean potato soup is a bright and herby mix of veggies and protein packed white beans. A satisfying soup, ready in 30 minutes.
You might not know this about me, but I have a big appreciation for soups. For my clients that tend not to like vegetables, I feel like it can be a great way to encourage them to eat more of them.
Think about it, you have a nice comforting and flavorful broth that those vegetables get to sit in. They absorb that flavor as they cook and make the vegetables more enjoyably tender. So if you struggle with the veggies too, you might want to give this Lemony White Bean Potato Soup a try or any of my favorite soups here too.
Why You’ll Love This Soup
- It has a lot of bright and herby flavors thanks to the lemon and fresh dill added in.
- You can load this soup up with lots of veggies. The flavorful broth makes them all the more enjoyable in this soup.
- This soup becomes nice and creamy with the help of the white beans. No vegan cream needed, but can absolutely be added in if you like it extra rich.
- It’s also high in plant-protein, fiber and iron. Vital nutrients for any plant-based eater.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- White Beans: Cannellini beans or navy beans work really well in this soup. I provide some tips below if you wish to use dry beans, but for time and convenience I do suggest using canned beans.
- Leeks: My produce box had a large leek and it pairs really well with the flavors in this soup. However, you can absolutely use a regular onion. If using leeks, make sure you cut off the root and the green top as it is very fibrous. Keep the white and the light green portion of the leek, cut it in half length wise and then clean between the layers.
- Potatoes: I used yellow potatoes. Make sure to dice into smaller pieces. Bigger chunks will make this soup take longer to cook.
- Lemon: We are using both the juice and zest for a nice bright pop of flavor at the end. The vitamin C in the lemon also helps to absorb more iron in this dish.
- Dill: We are stirring in some fresh dill at the very end to help compliment the lemon flavors. If not a fan of dill, you can also add in some fresh minced parsley for a milder, fresh flavor.
- Nutritional Yeast: I love adding this to soups for a good hit of umami flavor. If you don’t normally keep nutritional yeast at home, that’s okay. I would recommend that you then focus on utilizing a very flavorful broth base like the Vegetable Better Than Bouillon Base to help ensure your soup has rich flavor.
How to Make White Bean Potato Soup
If using leeks, make sure to clean them! Do this by cutting the root and woody dark green tops off. You should be left with the white and light green part of the stalk. Cut the stalk in half lengthwise and carefully wash under running water in between the leek folds to remove dirt that often gets trapped there. Now you can slice it.
After preparing your ingredients, warm a soup pot over medium heat, then heat your oil. To the pot add your leeks, carrots and celery and sauté with a pinch of salt until softened.
Stir in your garlic and red pepper, and once fragrant, add your nutritional yeast, thyme, and mustard and give a good stir.
Add your potatoes and beans, giving a good stir to coat. Pour in the vegetable broth, add in the bay leaves and allow to come to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Once the potatoes are cooked through, use an immersion blender to blend a small portion of the soup as desired. Remove from heat and add in the spinach, dill, miso paste, lemon zest and juice. Continue to stir until the spinach has wilted, then serve.
Tips for the Perfect Soup
- Make sure the beans simmer in the broth. You might be tempted to add the beans at the very end because they are already cooked, but they will absorb a lot of flavor from the soup and continue to soften in the soup to help thicken it.
- Thicken the soup by blending with an immersion blender. You only need to blend a small portion of the soup as the creaminess of the beans will continue to thicken it over time.
- Good quality broth matters. Since broths can vary, make sure you taste your soup as you go along. If you are using a low sodium broth, add more salt or herbs as you cook to help build flavor. If using a higher sodium broth, you likely will not need to adjust for sodium until the very end of cooking. I normally use the Vegetable Better Than Bouillon Base for most of my soup bases.
Frequently Asked Questions
Make this soup even more nutritious by adding more vegetables. As is, this soup is highly nutritious! This soup contains white beans which are a great source of protein and iron. The potatoes in this soup provide a great source of energy and potassium for better blood pressure regulation. The fresh and dry herbs are high in antioxidants. And thanks to the lemon, we get a fresh dose of vitamin C which helps to absorb iron. The fiber in this soup also helps to keep you satisfied and support a healthy gut.
You can use dry beans in this soup, but they would need to be cooked in advance before adding them into the broth to simmer. One heaping cup of dried beans will roughly give you about 2, 15 oz cans worth of beans or about 3 cups cooked.
Yes. We don’t want to add more liquid on top of the broth already in the pot. Another benefit is that by rinsing and draining your beans, you will remove some starches that may contribute to gas.
Yes. Make sure your soup cools completely before transferring the soup to an airtight container(s). Place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Instead of freezing in a large container, I do recommend storing it in smaller containers so you can pull out the amount of soup you like without having to thaw out the whole batch.
How to Serve
Between the potatoes, beans and vegetables, this soup is loaded with a great balance of nutrition and can be enjoyed as is. However, you can serve it with some of the following options if you want to treat this soup more as a side.
- Tofu Panini Sandwich
- Green Goddess Salad Sandwich (coming soon)
- Chopped Kale Salad
More Cozy Soup Ideas
- Lentil Kale Soup
- Sweet Potato Red Lentil Soup
- Split Pea Soup with Smoky Baked Tofu
- Lemon White Bean Orzo Soup
- Black Bean Soup
Lemony White Bean Potato Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: One Pot
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This lemony white bean potato soup is a bright and herby mix of veggies and protein packed white beans. A satisfying soup, ready in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp of avocado oil
- 1 large leek or 1/2 a medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 carrots, sliced or diced
- 5–6 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dry thyme
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 3 small sized potatoes, diced into 1/2 in cubes
- 2, 15 oz cans of white beans
- 6 cups vegetable broth or 6 cups water with 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp white miso paste
- 2 cups spinach
- Zest and juice of one lemon
- 1 small bunch of dill, minced (I used about 1/4 cup)
Instructions
- If using a leek, make sure to cut the root and woody dark green top off. Cut the remaining white and light green stalk lengthwise and rinse between the layers under running water to remove any dirt. Thinly slice it and then warm a soup pot over medium heat.
- Heat up the oil in the pot and then add in the leeks, carrots, celery with a pinch of salt and sauté until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Then, add in the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- To the pan, add in the nutritional yeast, thyme, mustard and give a good stir to combine. Next, pour in the potatoes and beans, mix again to fully coat in the mixture.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and add in the bay leaves. Then, bring your pot to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes, making sure the potato is cooked through.
- Remove the soup from heat and use an immersion blender to blend a small portion of the soup to help thicken it.
- If adding miso, take a spoonful of soup from the pot and place into a small bowl. Use this to mix your miso paste in until smooth, then pour back into the soup.
- Stir in the spinach, dill, lemon zest and juice, adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Notes
This soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. You can also freeze this soup in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw, then reheat on the stovetop or microwave and enjoy.
For a really great flavor, make sure you are using a good quality broth. If using boxed I like Imagine Foods or Pacific Foods. When using bouillon, I really like the bouillon base from Better Than Bouillon.
You may notice that there is no carrot seen in the photos for this post. My husband has a mild allergy to carrots, but was super interested in trying this soup, so I made it without and added a little more onion when photographing.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
★ Catherine
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This was easy and delicious! Thank you!
You are so welcome Lindsay. Thank you so much for making it. 🙂
Made this last night. I had most of the ingredients on hand — just needed spinach and fresh dill. Very easy to make and tasted delicious! The only change I made was to add a bit more spinach than called for in the recipe. It’s definitely a keeper!
Makes me so happy to hear Joyce! Thank you so much for making it. 🙂