Marry Me White Bean Soup: So Good You’ll Fall in Love

If you’ve been waiting for a vegetarian Marry Me recipe, this Marry Me White Bean Soup is it. Fiber- and antioxidant-rich white beans replace the traditional chicken in this recipe. It’s infused with the flavors you’ve come to expect, including onions, garlic, oregano, crushed red pepper and sun-dried tomatoes. And we didn’t skimp on the creaminess factor, created with whipping cream, cream cheese and Parmesan cheese. A touch of lemon juice cuts through some of the richness, while spinach and fresh basil add color and more antioxidants. Keep reading for our expert tips, including how to prevent the cheese from clumping. 

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! 

• We recommend stirring the cheese into the soup off the heat to prevent it from clumping.
• We found that toasting the oregano, crushed red pepper and garlic enhances the flavor of the soup.
• Feel free to substitute the white beans with chickpeas or red beans, and you can also add shredded chicken to make the soup even heartier.
• We suggest grating Parmesan cheese from a block rather than using pre-grated. Block cheese melts more evenly, whereas pre-grated cheese often contains stabilizers that help maintain its shredded texture but can interfere with melting.

Nutrition Notes

• White beans are a great source of plant protein, fiber and antioxidants. Eating more beans, including white beans, has been associated with a healthier heart and gut. The protein will help build muscle and keep you satisfied, especially in combination with the fiber. 
• Spinach is a leafy green that is rich in a plethora of nutrients, including plant protein and fiber. The vitamin K and calcium in spinach support bone health, vitamin A is good for your vision, folate is necessary for healthy development and vitamin C for immunity. As if that wasn’t enough, spinach is also a great source of iron for healthy blood cells.
• Parmesan cheese brings some calcium, protein and probiotics to this soup. It is considered one of the saltier cheeses, so if you need to watch your sodium content, feel free to reduce the amount of Parm you use in this recipe. And if you want to keep this soup vegetarian, be sure to use Parmesan cheese made with vegetarian rennet instead of animal rennet (the label will tell you which one was used). 
• Sun-dried tomatoes are tomatoes that have been dried in the sun or in a dehydrator; they’re typically salted before drying. Like regular tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes are a great source of antioxidants and vitamin C, which support healthy skin as well as disease prevention.