This white bean leek soup is hearty, healthy, irresistibly creamy, and brightened with refreshing lemon. It’s surprisingly easy to make and pairs perfectly with crusty bread or a simple salad for a cozy weeknight dinner.
Bean soups are some of the best winter meals. My husband, who usually has too big an appetite to consider soup a full dinner, can confirm: bean soups are always incredibly hearty, satisfying, and meal-worthy. That's why recipes like my spicy black bean soup, smoky navy bean soup, and zesty kidney bean soup are in heavy rotation in my house this time of year.
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Today I've got a new one that's perfect for chilly evenings. Get ready for my lemony white bean leek soup! If you enjoyed my white bean rosemary soup, you're going to love this one too. It’s got that cozy, stick-to-your-ribs quality you only get from bean soups, but the addition of lemon juice and zest gives it a bright, zingy lift, making it feel like a bowl of sunshine in the middle of winter.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Olive oil. Another neutral oil can be substituted, if you'd like.
- Leeks. As with most recipes, we're only using the white and pale green parts of the leeks here. There are some creative ways to use the greens floating around online, if you don't want to waste them. Personally, I like to use them in a stir-fry or homemade vegetable stock. You could also chop them up, briefly sauté, and use them as a garnish for your soup.
- Garlic.
- Vegetable broth.
- Cannellini beans. We're using canned beans, so the soup comes together quickly! If you don't have cannellini beans on hand, feel free to substitute another variety of white beans like navy beans or great northern beans.
- Potatoes. The recipe calls for yellow potatoes, but other varieties like russets or red potatoes will also work.
- Dried herbs. All you need is some thyme and a bay leaf.
- Baby spinach. This adds some nutrition and some vibrant green to the soup. You can skip it if you prefer.
- Lemon juice. Use freshly squeezed juice for maximum lemony flavor.
- Lemon zest.
- Salt and pepper.
- Fresh chives.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Cook the leeks. Heat your olive oil in a large pot, then add your chopped leeks. Cook them over medium heat until they soften and just begin to brown. Add minced garlic and cook it with the leeks for just a minute or so.
Step 2: Simmer the soup. Add the broth, beans, potatoes, and herbs. Raise the heat to a boil, then lower it to a simmer. Let the soup cook until the potatoes are tender and the beans are soft and beginning to break down.
Steps 3 & 4: Finish the soup. Stir in the spinach and let the soup simmer for a minute or two longer, just to wilt the spinach. Take the pot off of heat, remove the bay leaf, then add lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
Step 5: Serve. Your white bean leek soup is ready to enjoy! Ladle it into bowls and top each with a sprinkle of fresh chives.
Variations
- Switch up the greens. Instead of spinach, try chopped kale, chard, or collard greens. Just keep in mind that these greens make take a few minutes of extra simmer time compared to baby spinach.
- Add some wine. After cooking the leeks and garlic, deglaze the pan with a half cup or so of white wine. Let it simmer for a few minutes to reduce before adding the remaining ingredients.
- Add veggies. Throw in some chopped carrots, celery, broccoli, green beans, or any other veggies that you like.
- Pasta bean soup. Add a small variety of dried pasta, like shells, ditalini, or orzo during the last ten or so minutes of simmering. You may find you need a little extra broth if you try this!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! The recipe includes no gluten containing ingredients.
You can substitute 7 cups of soaked and fully cooked dried beans for the canned beans if you'd like.
Leftover white bean leek soup will keep for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge, or for about three months in the freezer.
Yes! The recipe as written makes a nice big batch of soup, so cutting it in half is a great idea if you're only feeding a few people. You'll only need 1 ½ leeks if you cut it in half, but feel free to round up to 2 if you don't mind a little extra leek flavor.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Lemony White Bean Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 medium leeks, white and pale green parts only, chopped (about 3 cups)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 4 (15 ounce/425 gram) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 12 ounces yellow potatoes, diced (1-inch, about 12 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Chopped fresh chives, for serving
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with the oil and place it over medium heat. Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the chopped leeks. Cook the leeks for 6 to 8 minutes, until softened and just starting to brown, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and cook it with the leeks for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
- Stir in the broth, cannellini beans, potatoes, thyme, and bay leaf. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat and let the soup simmer until the beans are very soft and the potatoes are fork tender.
- Stir in the spinach and let the soup simmer for 1 to 2 minutes longer, until the spinach has wilted.
- Remove the pot from heat. Remove the bay leaf, then stir in the lemon juice and zest. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. The soup should be pretty thick at this point — you can thin it with some additional broth or water if you'd like.
- Ladle into bowls, then sprinkle each bowl with fresh chives. Serve and enjoy.
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Can Navy beans be used as a substitute?
Yes, they should work just fine!
Made this for a small holiday gathering and it was a big hit! Love the simplicity of the recipe and how the ingredients, especially the lemon, give it depth and brightness. Used lemon pepper instead of regular pepper, collard greens instead of spinach (so added earlier in the process), and subbed chickpeas for one of the cans of white beans bc that was what I had on hand. Really delicious, will definitely make again and maybe experiment with adding some other veg like carrots. Thanks for the recipe!
It was delicious and quick to make, and a real treat on a wintery December day. Being a lemon-holic I added the juice of an entire lemon, added 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of coarse sea salt and subbed filtered water for the broth, and the soup turned out rich and full-flavoured. Will be making this again!