Description
A hearty and flavorful simple bean soup featuring cannellini beans simmered with aromatic herbs, garlic, and tomato passata, thickened with a blended portion of soup and enhanced by a vibrant hazelnut and parsley picada. Perfect as a comforting vegetarian main course with crusty bread.
Ingredients
Scale
Bean Soup:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 large brown onion (or 2 small), finely chopped (~180g/6oz)
- 1/4 tsp fresh thyme, chopped (or 1/8 tsp dried)
- 1/4 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1/8 tsp dried)
- 1 fresh bay leaf (or 1/2 dried)
- 1/3 cup tomato passata
- 4 x 400g/14oz cans cannellini beans, drained
- 3 cups vegetable stock, preferably homemade or low sodium store bought
Picada (Makes 4 tbsp):
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 medium garlic clove, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup whole hazelnuts with skin on (or almonds)
- 1/2 tsp cooking or kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)
Instructions
- Saute onion and herbs: Heat olive oil in a large heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add minced garlic, finely chopped onion, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Cook while stirring regularly for 8 minutes until onions turn a deep golden brown and become sweet.
- Cook tomato passata: Add tomato passata to the pot and cook over low heat for 8 minutes until the tomato thickens significantly and changes from red and watery to dark brown and very thick. This step is crucial for developing deep flavor.
- Simmer the soup: Stir in the drained cannellini beans followed by the vegetable stock. Adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer with the lid off. Allow the soup to simmer for 15 minutes, letting the flavors meld together.
- Blend part of the soup: Transfer about 2/3 cup (150 ml) of soup into a blender or use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Stir this blended portion back into the soup to thicken the broth and improve texture.
- Stir in Picada: Just before serving, stir in 2 tablespoons of the prepared Picada. Taste the soup and adjust salt if needed, as canned beans vary in saltiness. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
- Serve: Ladle soup into bowls and add a teaspoon of the remaining Picada on top of each serving. Serve immediately with crusty bread such as easy Artisan, no yeast bread, or French brioche for a complete meal.
- Prepare Picada: Toast hazelnuts in a small skillet over medium heat until golden and fragrant, shaking frequently. Transfer to a clean tea towel, rub to remove most skins (skip for almonds). Roughly chop nuts, add to a blender with parsley, garlic, olive oil, and salt. Blitz until mixture is pesto-like but still slightly chunky. Use as instructed above.
Notes
- Passata is pureed and strained tomatoes, thicker and smoother than canned diced tomatoes. It helps develop a rich flavor in the soup.
- Any white beans like navy, lima, or butter beans may be substituted; using colored beans alters the broth color but still works.
- For dried beans, soak 2.5 cups of beans for 5 to 24 hours, then boil and simmer until tender. Add salt accordingly during cooking.
- Stock quality greatly influences flavor; homemade vegetable stock is recommended over store-bought.
- Adjust salt carefully since canned beans have added salt; dried beans will require more seasoning.
- Optionally add clams or mussels by soaking and then adding 5 minutes before the end of cooking for a non-vegetarian version.
- Cooked soup keeps for up to 4 days; Picada stirred in will lose green color over time but remains tasty. Leftover fresh Picada topping best used within 2 days due to raw garlic.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (about 300 ml)
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 420 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 9 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
