Tuscan White Bean Soup

PREP TIME:

15 minutes

PREP NOTES:

Cooking time:

30 minutes

YIELDS:

8 people

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tbsns Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 large onion – chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic – finely chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 cup cauliflower, chopped
• 4 cans of white cannellini beans, drained (or you can use dried beans, soaked the night before with vinegar and then simmered for 45 minutes)
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (preferably home made)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
• 1 dried bay leaf
• Optional: 1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pan or dutch oven over low to medium heat.  Add the chopped onions and garlic.  Cook for a few minutes until translucent.  Then add the carrots, celery and cauliflower and saute for 8-10 minutes.
• Drain and rinse the canned beans.  Add to vegetable mixture along with chicken stock, sage, rosemary, oregano, salt, pepper and bay leaf.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Serve as is or with grated cheese on the top.

NOTES:

You can also put all the ingredients in the slow cooker on Low for 5-7 hours.  If the soup is too thin, take out 1-2 cups and blend with an immersion blender and add back to the soup until you get the desired consistency.

You can add spicy chicken sausage as well if you want to give it a ‘kick’!  Cook the sausage first, drain and add at the same time as you add the chicken stock, etc.

CREDIT: