Creamy White Bean Soup

Creamy White Bean Soup 

Ingredients:

White Beans – 2 cups of the steamed product or 2 canned lightly salted cannellini or haricot beans, drained and rinsed.

Olive Oil – 2 tbsp.

Onion – finely diced one medium onion.

Garlic – 3 unpeeled cloves.

Carrots – 2, cubed.

Celery – 2 stalks; diced.

Vegetable or Chicken Broth – 4 cups.

Bay Leaves – 1.

Thyme – 1 teaspoon (dried) or alternatively 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme.

Salt – as required.

Black pepper – as required.

Lemon Juice – 1 tablespoon (helps to cut through the heaviness.

Cream – ½ cup use heavy cream or coconut milk to lighten the dish and make it dairy free.

Optional Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top.

Fresh Parsley for garnishing.

Cooking Time:.

Steps to Prepare Creamy White Bean Soup:

Step no. 1

Saute Vegetables:

 In a big stew pot olive oil is heated over medium flame. Then chopped up the onion, followed by garlic, celery, and carrots. For 5-7 minutes the vegetables were sauteed until softened and the onions translucent.

Step no. 1

Add the broth and spices: 

Then vegetable or chicken broth or stock is poured in and then a bay leaf, sprigs of thyme, salt, and black pepper is added. Blend it all.

Step no. 2

Add the Beans:

 Escurrir y agregar los frijoles escurridos a la olla. Suba el fuego y cocine de 15 a 20 minutos más para que los sabores se integren.

Step no. 3

Blend for Creaminess:

Option 1:

 Give the soup a quick puree with an immersion blender while it’s still in the pot until its shoulders can be smarmed. Leave a few chunks of beans and vegetables for texture, if you prefer.

Option 2: 

Divide the soup in half and blend just half in a blender, then return to the pot. This keeps some chunkiness for a hearty texture.

Step no. 4

Add Cream: 

You can also add cream (or coconut milk) to the soup to make it very thick and rich. Add appropriately salt & pepper.

Step no. 5

Finishing Touches: 

Discard the bayleaf and squeeze the lemon juice for sharpness.

Step no. 6

Serve:

 Scoop out the soup into serving bowls and sprinkle freshly chopped parsley and cheese on top (optional).

Tips for Making Creamy White Bean Soup:

Use Fresh Herbs: Dried herbs are good but using fresh thyme or fresh rosemary will burst in more flavor.

For Extra Creaminess: 

For the best thickness, chop and liberally add a potato while cooking the soup, even if it may become creamier than you would want it.

Thick or Thin:

 In case thicker soup is desired, put less amount of broth. and In case thinner degree of thickness or preferred consistency is sought for, increase the broth or water until your desired thickness is reached.

Make it Vegan:

 When making this soup vegan, simply use vegetable broth and instead of cream, use coconut milk or any cream alternative.

Add Greens: 

Another last but certainly not the least option, you may add some fresh spinach or drained cleaned kale or such leafy vegetables whenever you are nearing the end of cooking the soup to make it healthier and add extra colors and vitamins.

Storage and Freezing: 

This soup can be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 4 days and frozen for 3 months. If the frozen soup is too thick after reheating on the stove, add a small amount of water to thin it out.

Enough of those on music. Now we have this creamy white bean soup which in my opinion is the summary of comfort and nutrition all at once. Its protein content is high, it is easy to prepare and most importantly it is bursting with flavors!

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