Great Northern Bean Soup is a classic, hearty white bean soup that's simple, comforting, and full of flavor. Made with tender great northern beans, aromatics, and savory seasonings, this cozy recipe is perfect for chilly evenings or meal prep for the week. Whether you're using canned beans for convenience or starting from dried beans, this easy soup delivers rich, satisfying flavor every time.
What Are Great Northern Beans?
Great northern beans are mild, creamy white beans that hold their shape well when cooked. They're commonly used in soups, stews, and casseroles because they become tender without falling apart. Their subtle flavor makes them perfect for hearty soup recipes like this one.
About the Recipe
Serve this delicious soup with a crusty piece of buttered bread for dipping and you have yourself the perfect and most comforting meal. As a professional recipe developer, I like to make this on a Sunday evening so I can warm up leftovers for lunch throughout the week. Â
If you are looking for more soup recipes, check out our: Tomato Bisque, Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Pumpkin and Carrots, or Spicy Everything-In-The-Kitchen Noodle Soup.
For more recipes with beans, check out our Lupini Beans and Cannellini Beans!
How to Cook Great Northern Beans
If using dried beans, soak overnight and simmer until tender before adding to the soup. For a quicker option, canned great northern beans work beautifully - simply rinse and drain before using.
Jump to:
- What Are Great Northern Beans?
- About the Recipe
- How to Cook Great Northern Beans
- Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- Directions
- Expert Tips and Tricks
- Kitchen Equipment
- Recipe Substitutions/Variations
- What To Serve With
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Recipe Storage and Reheating
- Other Recipes to Try
- Great Northern Bean Soup
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Simple - This comfort food recipe only takes about 15 minutes to prepare and then you can leave it to simmer on the stove until it is done. The ingredients are easy to find and simple to prepare.
- Comforting - This would be a great soup to serve to someone who is feeling under the weather. The warm, flavorful broth and the hearty ingredients would lift anyone's spirits. There really isn't anything much better than a warm bowl of soup on a chilly winter night.
- Approachable - This would be a great recipe to get kids to help you with in the kitchen. It involves some easy vegetable chopping, can opening and some simple measuring. It would be a great way to get the entire family involved!
Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients you will need for this hearty soup:
- Olive oil: Use a good quality olive oil for the best flavor.
- Pancetta: You can also use thick cut bacon or ham in this recipe.
- Celery, Carrots and Onion: Make sure you dice these vegetables finely and uniformly for the best texture in the soup.
- Garlic: Use fresh minced garlic cloves.
- Salt & black pepper
- Herbs: Use dried herbs in the soup and garnish with fresh rosemary and fresh thyme, if desired.
- Beans: You will use three cans of great northern beans. You could also use navy beans, cannellini beans, or any type of white beans in this recipe.
- Stock: I prefer to use vegetable stock for this recipe, but you can use chicken stock or bone broth. Ideally, homemade vegetable stock is always noticeably more delicious than store bought.
Directions
Let's make this great northern bean soup together!
Step 1
Heat a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil and pancetta and cook for 5 minutes.
Step 2
Add the celery, carrots and onion and sauté for 5 minutes.
Step 3
Add the garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary. Sauté until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Step 4
Add the beans and the stock and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Serve garnished with fresh herbs.
Expert Tips and Tricks
Here are some expert tips to make this white bean soup:
- Leftovers - Use leftover soup to help you prepare for the rest of the week's meals. Portion it out and store in individual containers to make it even easier!
- Complete the meal - This large pot of soup would be great with a loaf of crusty bread and a nice green salad.
- Use up leftovers - If you have other vegetables laying around, feel free to add them to the soup. You could even use leftover meat to make the soup extra hearty. This would be a great way to use up leftover holiday ham!
- Beans - This recipe calls for canned beans, but you could also use soaked beans in this recipe.
Kitchen Equipment
Here is some kitchen equipment you will need for this homemade soup. You can find all of these products on Amazon.
- Soup pot - A good quality large soup pot is a must for soup season! This one is great quality.
- Soup bowls - These are some of my favorite soup bowls of all time. They are the perfect size and keep the soup nice and warm.
- Ladle - I love this wooden ladle. It's gorgeous and perfect for this soup!
Recipe Substitutions/Variations
Here are some common recipe substitutions and variations for this easy great northern bean soup recipe.
- Pancetta - Substitute canadian bacon, smoked ham or prosciutto for the pancetta.
- Herbs - Use fresh herbs in place of the dried herbs. I would use ½ tablespoon of fresh herbs for the ½ teaspoon of dried. Pop a bay leaf in when you add the other herbs for added flavor, but be sure to remove it before serving. If you like things a bit spicy, add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Additions - Make this soup even more filling by adding chicken, an extra can of beans or some cooked rice.
What To Serve With
Here are some recipes to serve alongside this soup recipe:
Frequently Asked Questions
Great northern beans are a white bean that are perfect in soups, stews and casseroles because they are mild in flavor and small in size.
Sure! I would use navy beans, cannellini beans or white kidney beans as a close alternative to great northern beans.
You could, but you would have to cook them first. I prefer to use canned great northern beans for convenience. Â
You can blend a portion of the soup and stir it back in for a naturally creamy texture.
Yes, this soup freezes well for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Recipe Storage and Reheating
Here are storage and reheating instructions for this recipe:
- Refrigerator Storage: Store in an airtight container and eat leftovers within 4-5 days.
- Freezer Storage: Freeze in a freezer-safe, airtight container and keep for up to 3 months. When you're ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator and reheat as instructed below.
- Reheating Instructions: The best way to reheat this recipe is to heat in a saucepan over low heat until warm.
Other Recipes to Try
Great Northern Bean Soup
Equipment
- Soup Pot
- Soup Bowls
- Ladle
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 oz pancetta
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 1 cup white onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 3 cans great northern beans drained and rinsed
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- Fresh herbs for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and pancetta and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add celery, carrots, and white onion. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Ad garlic, salt, black pepper, thyme, and rosemary. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, until garlic is fragrant. Add great northern beans and vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes.
- Serve with fresh herbs.
Notes
-
- Leftovers - Use leftover soup to help you prepare for the rest of the week's meals. Portion it out and store in individual containers to make it even easier!
-
- Complete the meal - This large pot of soup would be great with a loaf of crusty bread and a nice green salad. Â
-
- Use up leftovers - If you have other vegetables laying around, feel free to add them to the soup. You could even use leftover meat to make the soup extra hearty. This would be a great way to use up leftover holiday ham!
-
- Beans - This recipe calls for canned beans, but you could also use soaked beans in this recipe.
- Refrigerator Storage: Store in an airtight container and eat leftovers within 4-5 days.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Liddie says
Just used bacon for the meat instead, absolutely banger. 10/10 easy and tasty.
Christina Musgrave says
Thanks, Liddie! I love this one too!