There is only a third of a cup of cream in this. The body comes from a cup of cannellini beans blended into the tomatoes — they carry enough starch to turn two large cans of tomatoes into something thick and velvety.
That leaves the rest of the can free to be a garnish. Warmed separately with olive oil and sage, those beans stay whole and go on top, which is the difference between this soup and every other blended tomato soup.
Why This Recipe Works
- Cooking the tomato paste with the onion and garlic for a minute concentrates it before the tinned tomatoes arrive.
- Whole peeled tomatoes blend to a smoother purée than chopped ones, which carry more skin.
- Blending a cup of beans into the soup thickens it without flour and without a heavy pour of cream.
- Warming the garnish beans in oil with sage flavours them separately, so they read as a topping rather than a leftover.
Ingredient Notes
- Cannellini beans, divided
- One 15-ounce can, rinsed. A cup is blended into the soup for body; the remainder is warmed with sage for the top.
- Whole peeled tomatoes
- Two 28-ounce cans. Whole rather than chopped, because they blend smoother.
- Sage leaves
- Six small leaves, warmed in the oil with the garnish beans. They are visible in the finished bowl.
How to Make It
Soften and concentrate
Cook onion in 1 tbsp oil for 6 minutes; add garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute.
Simmer the base
Add tomatoes, 1 cup of the beans, broth, oregano and salt. Simmer 25 minutes.
Blend, then enrich
Blend until completely smooth, then stir in cream and rosemary.
Warm the garnish beans
Warm the remaining beans separately with the remaining oil and sage.
Build the bowls
Ladle smooth soup into bowls and top with whole cannellini beans, sage, rosemary and red pepper flakes. Serve with bread.
Building the Bowl
The soup itself is one uniform colour and texture, so everything that makes the finished bowl worth looking at is added on top, in order.
Chilli flakes and bread
A quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes over the top, with crusty bread alongside as the finished dish shows.
The sage and rosemary
Six small sage leaves from the warming pan, plus more chopped rosemary. Both go on whole rather than being blended in.
The whole beans
The rest of the 15 oz can, warmed separately in olive oil with sage so they stay intact. These are the component that names the soup and they must be visible.
The smooth base
Two 28 oz cans of whole peeled tomatoes with 1 cup of cannellini beans, broth and oregano, simmered 25 minutes and blended completely smooth, then enriched with 1/3 cup cream and fresh rosemary.
Success Tips
- Blend it longer than feels necessary — completely smooth is the target, and a grainy tomato soup does not improve in the bowl.
- Rinse the beans before dividing them; the canning liquid carries into both halves otherwise.
- Keep the garnish beans whole. They are warmed, not stirred hard.
Serving Ideas
Six servings of the smooth orange-red soup, each topped with whole cannellini beans, sage, rosemary and red pepper flakes, with crusty bread alongside.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should the beans be stirred through the soup?
No. A cup is blended in for body; the rest sits whole on top as a garnish.
Can I leave it chunky?
No. The soup is blended completely smooth — the only texture is what goes on top.
Can I add more cream?
A third of a cup is what the recipe uses. The blended beans are doing most of the thickening.
