Most recipes will likely reflect this, but the combination of white beans and a high-quality sausage in soup is really the way to go.

I recently made a vegetarian bean soup (using yellow eye beans from Rancho Gordo) using a recipe from the restaurant Ubuntu in Napa and loved it. The broth is incredibly flavorful: you get earthiness from the beans, heat from the chile, tang from the lemon zest and sweetness from the vegetables. I have pictures here: http://www.shecookshebakes.com/2010/10/rancho-gordo-yellow-eye-bean-soup.html
I also link to the original recipes published in SF Gate and NYT. Let us know what you end up making!

Tuscan white bean soup. For a narrative-style recipe, check here: http://kayatthekeyboard.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/standby-comes-through-again/.
White beans, Italian sausage, onions, garlic, carrots, tomatos, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Spinach or kale if you like it. It's one of my go-tos.

The bean soup allegedly served in the Dining Room of the U.S. Senate would be a good bet. The recipe calls for white navy beans, but I don't see why you couldn't use white beans and adjust the cooking time if they're large. I just made a pot last week, and it was great as always. Just Google "U.S. Senate Bean Soup" and you'll get a ton of hits. Basics are beans, ham hocks or meaty bone, carrots, celery, onions, herbs, cubed potato and some spices. You can puree as much or as little of the mixture as you choose. And for all bean soups, I reccomend adding a drizzle of a wine vinegar, especially sherry wine vinegar, immediately before serving. The acid just brightens all the other flavors. Enjoy !

There was a food52 contest for minestrone soup that generated some really great recipes.
How about http://www.food52.com/recipes/4656_minestrone_soup or http://www.food52.com/recipes/3534_ribollita

I love this white minestrone from Arthur Schwartz Soup Suppers. Thanks for the reminder to make it. It is simple, but suberb. I have used pancetta in the saute before. The parm rind is nearly indispensible for me.
http://www.wchstv.com/gmarecipes/minestronewiths.shtml