Description
A hearty and flavorful Simple Bean Soup inspired by Spanish cuisine, featuring tender cannellini beans simmered with aromatic herbs and a rich tomato base, finished with a vibrant homemade picada for added depth and texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Bean Soup:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 large brown onion (about 180g / 6oz), finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp fresh thyme, chopped (substitute 1/8 tsp dried thyme)
- 1/4 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped (substitute 1/8 tsp dried rosemary)
- 1 fresh bay leaf (or 1/2 dried bay leaf)
- 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, skin on (or almonds)
- 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)
Instructions
- Saute onion and herbs: Heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, finely chopped onion, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring regularly, for 8 minutes until the onions turn a deep golden brown and sweet.
- Cook tomato passata: Add 1/3 cup of tomato passata to the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook for another 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomato changes from red and watery to dark brown and very thick. This key step develops deep flavor in the soup.
- Simmer: Stir in the drained cannellini beans followed by 3 cups of vegetable stock. Adjust heat so the soup is gently bubbling and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Blitz: Carefully transfer approximately 2/3 cup (150ml) of the soup into a jug or container suitable for a stick blender. Blend until smooth, then stir the pureed soup back into the pot to thicken the broth.
- Stir in Picada: Just before serving, stir in 2 tablespoons of the prepared Picada. Taste and adjust salt as needed because canned beans can vary in saltiness.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with 1 teaspoon of the remaining Picada. Serve immediately with crusty bread such as artisan bread, no-yeast bread, or French brioche for a delicious accompaniment.
- Prepare Picada: Preheat a small skillet over medium heat and toast the whole hazelnuts, shaking regularly, until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a clean tea towel, bundle, and rub vigorously to remove most skins (skip this step if using almonds). Roughly chop the nuts and combine with parsley, garlic, olive oil, and salt in a container just large enough for the stick blender. Blitz until the mixture resembles pesto but is not completely smooth. Use 2 tablespoons in the soup and reserve the rest for topping.
Notes
- Passata is pureed, strained tomatoes and is smoother and thicker than canned chopped tomatoes. It’s sometimes labeled as tomato puree in the US.
- Any white beans like navy, lima, or butter beans can be used. Other colored beans will change the soup’s color but will still taste great.
- If using dried beans instead of canned, soak 2.5 cups dried beans for 5 to 24 hours. Boil then simmer with salt until almost tender (about 25 minutes for fresh cannellini). They will finish cooking in the soup.
- Use less table salt than cooking/kosher salt due to grain size differences. Adjust salt at the end since canned beans contain salt.
- For a seafood variation inspired by the original recipe, soak clams for 1 hour to purge sand and add them to the soup 5 minutes before it finishes cooking. Mussels are a good alternative if clams are unavailable.
- Store cooked soup for up to 4 days. Picada stirred into the soup will lose its bright green color over time. Leftover fresh picada topping should be used within 2 days due to raw garlic content.
- This recipe yields about 4 to 5 servings and is filling and nutritious thanks to the beans.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 480 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
