Description
This Simple Bean Soup is a hearty and flavorful vegetarian Spanish-inspired recipe featuring cannellini beans, aromatic herbs, and a rich tomato base, thickened with a smooth purée and enhanced by a zesty homemade Picada sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
Bean Soup:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 large brown onion, finely chopped (~180g/6oz)
- 1/4 tsp fresh thyme, chopped (or 1/8 tsp dried thyme)
- 1/4 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped (or 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 Sauce (makes 4 tbsp):
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped and lightly packed
- 1 medium garlic clove, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup whole hazelnuts with skin (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, fresh thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring regularly, for 8 minutes until the onions turn a deep golden brown and develop a sweet aroma.
- Cook tomato passata: Add 1/3 cup of tomato passata to the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook this mixture for another 8 minutes until the tomato changes from red and watery to dark brown and very thick. This step is essential for building deep flavor.
- Simmer the soup: Stir in the drained cannellini beans followed by 3 cups of vegetable stock. Adjust the heat so the soup bubbles very gently and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Blitz part of the soup: Transfer about 2/3 cup (150 ml) of the soup into a jug or a container suitable for a stick blender. Blend until smooth, then stir this purée back into the pot to thicken the broth evenly.
- Stir in Picada sauce: Just before serving, add 2 tablespoons of the prepared Picada sauce to the soup and stir well. Taste the soup and add more salt if needed depending on the saltiness of your canned beans.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and dollop each serving with 1 teaspoon of the remaining Picada sauce. Serve immediately with crusty bread such as artisan or French brioche for a complete meal.
- Prepare Picada: Heat a small skillet over medium heat and toast the hazelnuts, shaking frequently, for several minutes until golden and fragrant. Transfer the hazelnuts to a clean tea towel and rub vigorously to remove most of their skins. Roughly chop the toasted nuts and place them in a jug with the parsley, chopped garlic, olive oil, and salt. Blitz with a stick blender until the mixture resembles a pesto but is not completely smooth. Use the Picada as directed in the recipe.
Notes
- Passata is pureed, strained tomatoes that are smooth and thick, not chunky. It is often found labeled as Tomato Puree or passata in supermarkets.
- Any white beans such as navy, lima, or butter beans can be used. Other beans will work but may alter the soup’s color.
- If using dried beans, soak 2 1/2 cups dried beans for 5–24 hours, then simmer in salted water until almost tender, about 25 minutes for fresh cannellini beans or longer for older beans. Adjust salt and add it either at the start or partway through cooking depending on bean size.
- Vegetable stock is best homemade for optimal flavor, but use a low sodium store-bought version if preferred.
- Table salt is finer than cooking/kosher salt, so use less if substituting.
- This recipe is adapted from "The Family Meal" by El Bulli, with clams omitted to keep it vegetarian. Clams or mussels can be added if desired.
- Cooked soup keeps up to 4 days; however, Picada stirred into the soup loses its bright green color over time. Fresh Picada used as a topping should be consumed within 2 days due to raw garlic.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approximately 300g)
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 400 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 12 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
