Smoky White Bean Soup. A little parsley might have brightened up the picture but my recent trials with tabbouleh salad have left me short of parsley.
Despite my switching over to pressure cooking dried beans in my Instant Pot for many recipes these days, I needed to use some canned white kidney beans, AKA Cannellini Beans. I searched for recipes to change up my usual, White Bean Soup, when I had used up the last of my fresh and frozen fresh parsley. I love the tang of the lemon juice and the taste of thyme and parsley of the white bean soup, a traditional Mediterranean Soupa Fasolia, a regular in rotation for our household. This Smoky White Bean Soup will definitely find its way into our regular diet.
Switching to dried beans to save money, I found that white beans are harder to find on the shelves at the grocery so I've been using up the last of the canned white kidney beans. If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that, like a lot of other Americans, we are reassessing how and where we spend money and changing our habits with T.A.C.O. Word Salad as POTUS. The idiotic galoot's instability has left civil servants unemployed and overworked, the public underserved and unsafe, and the economy is now a roller coaster at a third rate theme park. Budget concerns are at the forefront for most families now.
It was nice to find a recipe that was easy to modify and very tasty. Best, I used what I had in the pantry and frig. I substituted the navy beans with cannellini beans (white kidney beans). The cannellinis break down nicely. A diced potato further adds to the creaminess of the soup. I added in a teaspoon of Liquid Smoke to the essential Red Wine Vinegar and Smoked Paprika which brings the smokiness up a notch. Darkly sautéing the onions also added to the flavor profile.
Smoky White Bean Soup Add enough Olive oil to a soup pot to coat the bottom lightly and add in 1 large or 2 small finely chopped onions.
I used 2 small red onions because it's what I have. Control the heat at this stage so you don't burn, only brown the ingredients. After these were nicely browning, I tossed in
3 TSP minced garlic.
Deglaze the pan with a bit of water to scrape up the browning on the pan. This allows the onions and garlic to soften and brown nice and dark without burning.
Next, add in
2 stalks of celery with the leaves, chopped.
Brown the mix lightly.
I tossed in
3 Large sliced carrots and just enough water to cover them.
Boil about 20 minutes until done, checking every 5 minutes or so to make certain the water stays just over the carrots.
Add
1 TSP Ground Cumin
1 TSP Smoked Ground Paprika
1 TSP Liquid Smoke
4 Vegetable Bouillon Cubes, the size which requires 1 cup of water per cube but scrimp on the water adding only
3 Cups of water. Set the fourth cup of water aside for after the beans are added.
To this toss in
1 large potato, peeled, cubed to about 1/4 inch size.
This smaller size diced potato will allow it to cook more quickly and break down. This adds to the creaminess of the soup.
It took about 8 minutes for the potato to cook through but still retain its shape. You should be able to smash the potato with a fork easily. Turn heat to Medium.
Drain and rinse
3 cans of cannellini beans.
Stir in the beans.
That extra cup of water for the bouillon cubes may come in handy based on the size of your pot. Add in just enough to cover the beans.
Stir in
2 TSP Red Wine Vinegar.
Cook about 5 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse.
Turn off the heat and stir in
1 TSP Black Pepper, medium grind
1 TSP Salt or season to taste
Let sit briefly before serving. The soup will thicken on standing.
I served it with my 1.5 hour Oat Nut Rolls. I had started the dough prior to starting this soup. After the hour mark of rising, I paused while making the soup to preheat the oven and shape the rolls. The pairing made for a dense, hearty, filling meal.
Pair with a side salad for a lighter touch.
Opt for a crispy toasted bread slice with roasted garlic if your want to serve this rustic style, using the bread to sop up the soup which thickens to a stew after sitting.
You can also thin this soup out with water a bit to stretch the dish when trying to save money.
It's vegan but it can also be thinned with milk, milk subs, or cream.
Bump up the veg factor, by adding in shredded spinach or kale when you add the beans. 5 minutes is enough to cook the cut greens lightly.
The first time I tried this recipe I used my Instant Pot and repeatedly got the burn warning. It wasn't burning or even scorched, rather the creaminess of the soup confused the newer model of Instant Pot with the burn warning setting. I found cooking this stove top allowed me to sauté the onions, garlic, and celery to deep brown perfection. When I am able to get dried white beans, I'll used the Instant Pot to cook the beans separately and try varying the water amount to avoid the burn warning. If it works, I'll update this post...
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This soup came out to around 2 quarts of soup but the servings are so hearty a single 8-10 oz serving constitutes a meal. Makes 6-8 bowls of 8-10 ounces. Consider thinning it a bit to increase servings. Stores well in the frig for 3-4 days.
Nutrition Facts:
**3 cans of cannellini beans are 24 grams of protein per can. With three cans, that's over 72 grams of protein just in the beans for this dish.
**5-6 cups of Vegetables: Carrots, Onions, Garlic, Celery, Potato. Adding a 1-2 cups of spinach or kale will increase vegetable intake. A side salad will increase the vegetable intake.
Sodium levels depend on the bouillon and spice you choose.
**The Oat Nut rolls use old fashioned oats, a whole grain, and add in extra protein in the form of nuts and seeds. The honey in the rolls is optional but helps it rise more and adds sweetness. One cup of the flour can be substituted with a whole grain flour.
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