15 Bean Soup with Pancetta and Basil
15 Bean Soup with Pancetta and Basil is a rich, flavorful vegetable broth with a variety of 15 different beans, along with pancetta, and lots of fresh basil. Topped with some cheese shavings, every sip of this soup is creamy, comforting, and delicious!
15 Bean Soup with Pancetta and Basil
Rich, thick and very flavorful, this 15 bean soup with pancetta and basil is loaded with fiber and protein! This recipe will make a huge batch, enough for leftovers for the week, or freeze some.
This recipe for 15-bean soup is different. It has a tomato-based broth that’s flavored with pancetta and fresh basil, rather than ham.
While the soup simmers, the beans will practically melt, and the broth will thicken. It’s rich, tomato broth and beans will slowly soak up the flavors of the pancetta and fresh basil, creating a wonderful aromatic, savory taste in every spoonful.
This is a perfectly hearty and filling meal for those chilly nights with a ton of flavor! It’s SO good, and SO tasty, you’ll want to keep this recipe on rotation. If you love bean soups, be sure to try our Tuscan Swiss Chard and Beans Soup, and Brothy White Beans Soup. And, if you are looking for butter beans, then don’t miss our Easy Butter Beans Soup.
Tell Us About This Soup
- FLAVOR: The smoky flavors come from the pancetta and give this soup the “wow” factor! So don’t leave it out. Best of all, it comes already chopped, which is a time-saver.
- The BROTH: Its rich, thick broth is a tomato-based broth. It’s made with crushed Italian tomatoes, water, and vegetable broth. The flavor is intensified with lots of fresh basil. Plus, the parmesan rind will “melt” into the broth while it helps thicken the broth, making it richer, creamier, and more flavorful.
- The EASE: This recipe is straightforward to pull off. Once you’ve soaked the beans, rinse them. The rest of the ingredients come together quickly and easily. Then simmer for over an hour to melt the beans into a rich, thick soup.
How To Make This Soup?
For this recipe, you will need ONE package of dried 15 Bean Soup mix, a few fresh vegetables, lots of fresh basil, a package of chopped pancetta, and vegetable broth. Plus, bottled water is also added to the soup. Then it is simmered for over an hour, creating a creamy consistency and an aromatic flavors… everyone will love!
Ingredients You Will Need for 15 Bean Soup:
For our 15-bean soup recipe, you will need the following ingredients.
- 1 bag (20 ounces) of Hurst’s 15 Bean Soup
- organic olive oil
- diced or chopped pancetta
- 1 large onion
- garlic clove
- vegetable broth
- organic chili powder
- 1 can (14.5ounce) crushed tomatoes
- bunch of fresh basil
- 1 rind of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- shavings of Locatelli Pecorino cheese
Recipe Tips
- IMPORTANT TIP! The water used for soaking the beans or boiling gets discarded! Only fresh bottled water is used in the recipe to make the broth.
- The Package of Beans: A package of 15 Bean Soup contains a variety of dried beans, peas, and lentils. An interesting mix of legumes.
- No Need To Use The Ham Flavoring: Plus, inside every package comes a seasoning packet of ham flavoring, but we prefer not to use it. No need for it at all. Trust me.
- Natural Flavoring: We prefer flavoring the broth with natural ingredients, such as fresh basil, crushed tomatoes, seasonings, and real bacon, like pancetta.
- Stock up: We prefer to keep packages of chopped pancetta in the freezer. Keep in mind, if you don’t have pancetta, you can flavor this 15 Bean Soup with uncured bacon. And, if you prefer, you can flavor it with ham, ham hocks, or even smoked sausage.
- The Parmesan Rind: The parmesan rind can be found in gourmet cheese sections or shops. If you don’t see it, ask someone. Parmesan rinds freeze well! So we like to keep them on hand and ready to pop one into soups, stews and even sauces for extra flavor.
How To Make this 15 Bean Soup with Pancetta and Basil:
Our full printable recipe card is located at the bottom. But first, let’s run through the steps on how to make this 15-bean soup with pancetta and basil before you start:
Step 1. PREPARE THE BEANS: First, place the beans into a pot filled with water and allow them to soak for about 6 to 8 hours. You can do this overnight or in the early morning. For quicker results, you can also boil the beans in the water on the stovetop for at least 1 hour.
Step 2. SAUTE: Next, sauté and cook the pancetta, onions, and garlic together until the pancetta is fully cooked and crispy, about 5 minutes.
Step 3. RINSE THE BEANS: Then, discard the water used for soaking or boiling. Drain, rinse, and drain again those gorgeous beans under cold running water.
4. COOK THE BEANS: Then add the beans into the pancetta mixture along with fresh clean water and vegetable broth and simmer for one hour. After an hour, the tomatoes, chili powder, and lots of fresh basil go in.
5. TOSS IN CHEESE: Here is where you can toss in one Parmigiano-Reggiano rind. Simmer the soup for an additional 20 minutes. Then serve with a few shavings of pecorino cheese or parmesan on top.
FAQ’s
- Can we make this soup with our Slow Cooker? Yes, you can make this soup in your Cuisinart Slow Cooker or even with your new Instant Pot.
- What if we don’t have basil? No worries, try adding a handful of freshly chopped parsley instead, or leave it out. The flavor will be different, but still very tasty.
- Can we leave out the Parmesan rind? Yes, you can. We recommend you stir in about 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese at the end before serving.
- What if the beans have not melted into a creamy mixture? You can puree some of the soup with a hand-held immersion blender. Just be extra careful if the soup is still very hot.
- Can we freeze this soup? Yes, you can. Be sure to allow the soup to cool down completely before transferring it to a sealed container. Then freeze. You can freeze soups up to one month is best.
Serve and Enjoy!
This 15 Bean Soup with Pancetta and Basil turned out so good and so satisfying, you don’t need to serve it with anything else, except maybe some thin crackers or crusty bread.
Just serve and enjoy!
More Delicious Bean Soups You’ll Love!
If you try our 15 Bean Soup with Pancetta and Basil recipe, let us know and leave a comment! Snap a photo and hashtag it on Instagram and Pinterest.
HAPPY COOKING! 😉
xo Anna and Liz
15 Bean Soup with Pancetta and Basil
15 Bean Soup with Pancetta and Basil is a delicious bean soup loaded with a variety of 15 different dried beans, and simmered with pancetta, onions, garlic, tomatoes and fresh basil into a rich and flavorful soup. A hearty soup your family will love!
Ingredients
- 1 bag (20 ounce) Hurst's 15 Bean Soup
- 1 Tbsp. organic olive oil
- 4 ounces chopped pancetta
- 1 large onion- diced
- 1 large garlic clove- minced
- 6 cups water
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 can (14.5ounce) crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil
- 1 rind (about 2-inch piece) of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- fresh cracked pepper to taste
- shavings of pecorino or parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Place beans into a large bowl or pot and add 8 cups of water. Allow beans to soak for 6 to 8 hours. After soaking, drain and give the beans a quick rinse under cold water. Set aside.
- In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and add pancetta, onions and garlic. Cook until the pancetta is fully cooked, occasionally stirring, about 5 minutes.
- Add the rinsed beans, water and vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer (with a low boil) covered for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
- After 1 hour, add the tomatoes, chili powder, salt and fresh basil and stir to blend into the soup. Toss in one Parmesan rind. Cover and continue to simmer for additional 15 to 20 minutes. The soup should be thick and creamy. Turn off heat. Taste, and season with salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
- Discard the Parmesan rind before serving. Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with fresh chopped basil or parsley and top with shavings of pecorino cheese. Serve warm.
- yields: 14 servings
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 14 servings Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 762Total Fat: 23.5gCarbohydrates: 65gFiber: 39gSugar: 5.4gProtein: 47.2g
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Good to see this on repeat! I love this soup!
thanks Abbe! Have a great weekend!
I had a package of 9 bean soup mix, no seasoning packet, so this recipe was perfect for me. I am making it right now in my instant pot.
Hi that is so great! Welcome and thanks for visiting our blog. Please let us know how the soup turns out – it happens to be our favorite!
That’s so funny! I buy Hurst’s every time I want bean soup. Now I want it! But I have a packkge in the pantry!
Glad to hear Abbe! Have a great week!
Thank you for another wonderful sounding soup recipe! Though I’ve never seen those packets of mixed beans over here!
Thank you Sandra! If you can’t find the mixed beans, I provided a link on this page under “the ingredients you will need” and it’s linked to Amazon where you can get them.
We are too! The cold weather is hitting the entire east coast as well. I think will make a pot of soup this weekend! Have a great weekend and thank you Sue!
We're in for a chilly week here and your soup looks so warm and welcoming not to mention delicious! Have a great weekend!
That's a lot of different beans! I bet this is such a hearty and filling soup.
Thank you Caroline! And welcome to our blog- it's so nice to meet you! It is one of those healthy dried bean packages that really make this soup so hearty and filling- you have to try it!
I LOVE those multi bean soup packs ~ and I have at least 3 Parm rinds in my cheese drawer :))
Thanks Sue! Those multi bean packages really make our lives easier. We need to get more of them into our pantry. Have a great weekend.