White bean soup
This Italian bean soup takes forty minutes, a few tins of beans and a handful of aromatics. The secret is blending only three quarters of it — the rest of the beans stay whole and give the texture a smooth purée lacks.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Garlic and rosemary 9 min
- Simmering the beans 15 min
- Blending 5 min
- Rosemary oil 8 min
Step by step
0 / 5 doneSoften the base
Dice the onion and celery and slice the garlic. Cook the onion and celery in olive oil for 7 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and rosemary and cook another 2 minutes. Do not burn the garlic — against mild white beans any bitterness is noticeable.
Ingredients: 800 g white beans · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic · 2 pcs celery · 3 tbsp olive oil · 700 ml vegetable stock · 2 tsp rosemary · ½ pcs lemon · 1 tsp salt · ½ tsp pepper
Garlic golden, not brown.Simmer with stock
Add the drained beans and stock, bring to the boil and simmer 15 minutes. Canned beans are already soft — this is only about letting them take on the garlic and rosemary.
Ingredients: 800 g white beans · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic · 2 pcs celery · 3 tbsp olive oil · 700 ml vegetable stock · 2 tsp rosemary · ½ pcs lemon · 1 tsp salt · ½ tsp pepper
Blend three quarters
Ladle roughly a quarter of the soup into a bowl, picking out mostly whole beans. Blend the rest smooth, then stir the reserved part back in. You get a creamy base and clear texture in the same bowl.
Ingredients: 800 g white beans · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic · 2 pcs celery · 3 tbsp olive oil · 700 ml vegetable stock · 2 tsp rosemary · ½ pcs lemon · 1 tsp salt · ½ tsp pepper
TipThin a too-thick soup with a little hot stock (it is worth having some extra) — plain water dilutes the flavour along with the texture.
Make the rosemary oil
Warm the olive oil with the rosemary sprigs, the sliced garlic clove and the chilli over low heat for 4 minutes — it should smell fragrant, not sizzle. Strain into a small bowl, leaving about 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan, and fry the bread, cut into cubes, in it until golden, 3–4 minutes.
Ingredients: 80 ml olive oil · 2 pcs rosemary · 1 clove garlic · 2 pcs bread · ¼ tsp chilli flakes
Season and serve
Season the soup with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, drizzle with rosemary oil and scatter croutons. The lemon is not optional — without it the beans taste heavy.
Ingredients: 80 ml olive oil · 2 pcs rosemary · 1 clove garlic · 2 pcs bread · ¼ tsp chilli flakes
Green oil on a white soup — contrast and aroma.
Before you start
From dried beans
Soak 300 g of beans overnight and simmer them in fresh water for 60–90 minutes, until completely soft, before adding them to the soup. The flavour is fuller and the broth thicker.
With bacon
Fry 100 g of bacon at the start and use the rendered fat in place of some of the oil. No longer vegan, but smoky.
The tin liquid
You do not have to pour the tin liquid away: if the soup comes out too thick, a few spoonfuls blended in add creaminess and bean flavour. It can be salty — go easier on the salt if you use it.
