White Bean, Rice and Dill Soup

By Naz Deravian

Updated March 23, 2026

  • Bobbi Lin for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Eugene Jho.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(5,006)
Comments
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This cozy, comforting pot of soup comes together quickly with a few pantry staples. Creamy canned navy beans and jasmine rice add body to a base of softened vegetables stained with turmeric. You may be tempted to add stock, but be assured that using water is enough here. The sum of the ingredients can stand on its own and doesn’t need the added boost of stock. (If you do add stock, be mindful of the amount of salt you use.) The dill – which can be dried or fresh – and turmeric brighten up the soup and offer a bright reminder of spring any time of year.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

  • 2 large carrots, scrubbed and finely chopped

  • 2 celery stalks, finely chopped

  • 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper 

  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

  • Red-pepper flakes (optional), to taste

  • ⅓ cup white jasmine rice, rinsed

  • 2 (15-ounce) cans navy beans or cannellini beans, rinsed

  • 1 tablespoon dried dill or ¼ cup chopped fresh dill

  • Lemon (optional), for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

45 grams carbs; 310 calories; 7 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 10 grams fat; 9 grams fiber; 552 milligrams sodium; 12 grams protein; 3 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large pot, heat the oil over medium. Add the garlic, carrots, celery and onion; season with a good pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add the turmeric and red-pepper flakes (if using) and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans and dill; season everything well with salt (about 1½ teaspoons) and black pepper to taste. Stir and cook for 1 minute.

  3. Step 3

    Add 6 cups of water, stir, partially cover, raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover completely, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rice is completely soft and has released its starchy goodness, and the beans are creamy on the inside, about 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning as the soup simmers. Serve with lemon, if you like.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
5,006 user ratings
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Comments

David

Could you cook this with brown rice? I imagine you'd just increase the cooking time, but curious to hear what others think.

H. Ildari

I made this soup for lunch today. Delicious! I just added 2 tablespoons of tomato paste in step 1 to give the soup a bit of additional color and umami.

Kat

Delicious with a few changes. Started boiling brown rice separately at the same time I started sautéing the vegetables to give it a head start. Added a Tbsp of tomato paste to the vegetable sauté. Didn’t have fresh dill so used dried. Added the pre-boiled brown rice along with the beans and liquid. Added handfuls of fresh basil and spinach toward the end. It was very thick, ended up adding a cup more water and squeezed a half lemon over everything at the end. Hearty and satisfying.

Bev

Some slight mods, as I was working with stuff in my larder: Soaked/cooked dried beans with a spoonful of chicken flavored bouillon paste A small white potato, ~1c chopped kale, instead of celery Pearl couscous instead of rice Garlic powder instead of fresh I cannot get over how delicious this is, and how much better it gets as it ages. Also used the herb/aromatic combination in a low-residue diet soup (potato, carrot, onion) and found it amazing. Thanks so much for this recipe!

Lara

We really liked this. The creamy rice gives it almost a coconut milk vibe. Fresh dill really pops. I would go very easy on the red pepper flakes - a little goes a long way!

Vicky

Perfect, simple recipe. made it mostly as stated with about 1 tsp salt and decided it needed a *little* boost and added about 1 tsp Better than Bouillion (organic vegetable,but chicken or no-chicken would do the same). I did start it on the stove up to the simmer point, then moved it to the slow cooker as it is ball season so it was more flexible with timing. :)

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