White Bean Soup
This fresh, lemony White Bean Soup is made with hearty beans, herbs, kale, and a squeeze of zesty lemon.The perfect summer soup.
I feel like I haven't blogged in ages. It has been a few weeks, admittedly, and while I prefer not to be inactive for that long on here, sometimes life happens. I've also felt the need to take a step back from social media. A much-needed tech detox, so to speak, which has felt really good. We're heading up north this weekend and I'm pretty darn excited for that!
I'm here today to share a delightful White Bean Soup recipe. I made this a few weeks ago and again the other night, and it's just scrumptious. Beans have become a bigger part of my diet over the past few months, mostly because I can (finally) tolerate them better nowadays, but also because they're such a healthful, versatile food. Beans can be used in so many different ways and there are so many different kinds. I'm a little partial to lentils (I love green lentils and the peppery flavour of red), and I also love chickpeas. My Chickpea Salad recipe is my favourite to make. Sean loves it too.
Today's recipe however uses white beans. You can use any variety you please, such as navy beans, cannellini beans, etc. There are two ways you can prepare the beans for this soup: simply use canned beans and add them to the pot toward the end of cooking, or use dried beans and let them soak overnight.
Why + How to Soak Dried Beans
Soaking is important for the preparation of dried beans. It decreases cooking time, helps reduce their gas-forming sugars (as they leach out into the water), reduces their lectin content, and improves their digestibility. If you have a sensitive stomach and tend to shy away from gas-forming foods like beans, try using 1/2 the recommended amount for this recipe and seeing if that smaller serving helps.
To prepare your dried beans, simply place them in a bowl with plenty of water and let them soak for 8-16 hours. Overnight will do the trick. Then, rinse them well, and add them to this recipe at the start of cooking (for canned beans, we would add them toward the end since they're already softened and more delicate).
To prevent your beans from becoming mushy or having their delicate skins fall apart while cooking, cook this soup on a slow simmer instead of a rolling boil.
White Bean Soup
A lively soup made with white beans, vegetables, and lemon.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1 can (400ml) OR 1/2 cup dried white beans (navy, cannellini, etc.)
1 large carrot, diced
1 medium white/yellow potato, diced
2-3 kale leaves, stems removed, chopped
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp each dried basil, parsley, and oregano
1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
water to submerge all ingredients
Instructions
If using dried beans, place in bowl with plenty of water and soak overnight. Then rinse well and strain. If using canned beans, strain, rinse, and add to soup during last 10 minutes of cooking.
Add all ingredients except lemon to pot with enough water to submerge everything by about 1-2 inches.
Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer on medium-low heat for about 35-40 minutes, or until everything is tender and beans are softened (but not mushy).
Squeeze lemon juice into soup and stir.
Serve hot with extra lemon wedges. Enjoy!