White Bean Soup Recipe
Photo credit: Dontrey Britt-Hart
Instructions:
Place a large Dutch oven over medium heat and drizzle enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pot. Add your chopped onions, celery, and carrots and sauté over medium-low heat until onions are slightly translucent. Stir occasionally to prevent browning. Add garlic and your portions of smoked turkey, if using, and sauté a few minutes longer.
Sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes over the vegetables and stir. (*If you are spice-averse, use your best judgment on the amount of pepper used. We like spice in our family, so I sometimes add a pinch more.)
Pour 2 quarts of chicken or vegetable broth into the pot and most of your water, cover, and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes. (*I like the flavor chicken broth imparts to the beans, but I’m sure vegetable broth would be tasty for those who do not eat meat. Any broth will give your soup better flavor than water alone.)
Add beans, thyme and bay leaves. Cover and simmer for about an hour. Stir occasionally.
Add smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Continue to simmer until beans are tender, approximately another hour and a half.
Add additional salt and pepper to taste (I always add a bit more) and enjoy every spoonful.
Olive oil
2 lbs. (32 oz.) small white beans, sorted and rinsed
2 small or 1 large sweet onion(s), chopped
3 – 4 stalks of celery, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 – 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced
2 quarts (64 oz.) chicken or vegetable broth
1 quart (32 oz.) water
2 small portions of smoked turkey, scored (optional)
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 teaspoons dried thyme
2 – 3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons coarse Kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
My Two Cents:
The guys sometimes enjoy a small scoop of rice in their white bean soup.
For those who want a bit more protein, you can remove the smoked turkey, shred it with a fork and return it to your soup.
A simple green salad with a vinaigrette is a bright side dish that compliments the soup’s warm heartiness.
And, if you’re not counting carbs, a fluffy cornbread muffin or crisp slice of garlic parmesan toast is a tasty side dish to soak up the last bits of the savory broth.
White Bean Soup Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place a large Dutch oven over medium heat and drizzle enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pot. Add your chopped onions, celery, and carrots and sauté over medium-low heat until onions are slightly translucent. Stir occasionally to prevent browning. Add garlic and your portions of smoked turkey, if using, and sauté a few minutes longer.
- Sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes over the vegetables and stir. (*If you are spice-averse, use your best judgment on the amount of pepper used. We like spice in our family, so I sometimes add a pinch more.)
- Pour 2 quarts of chicken or vegetable broth into the pot and most of your water, cover, and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes. (*I like the flavor chicken broth imparts to the beans, but I’m sure vegetable broth would be tasty for those who do not eat meat. Any broth will give your soup better flavor than water alone.)
- Add beans, thyme and bay leaves. Cover and simmer for about an hour. Stir occasionally.
- Add smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Continue to simmer until beans are tender, approximately another hour and a half.
- Add additional salt and pepper to taste (I always add a bit more) and enjoy every spoonful.
