Description
A hearty and flavorful Simple Bean Soup made with cannellini beans, aromatic herbs, and a rich tomato base, thickened with a blended portion of soup and enhanced by a fresh, nutty homemade Picada. Perfect as a comforting, vegetarian-friendly meal served with crusty bread.
Ingredients
Scale
Bean Soup:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 large brown onion (or 2 small), finely chopped (~180g/6oz)
- 1/4 tsp fresh thyme, chopped (or 1/8 tsp dried)
- 1/4 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1/8 tsp dried)
- 1 fresh bay leaf (or 1/2 dried)
- 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 Recipe (makes 4 tbsp):
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 medium garlic clove, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup whole hazelnuts, skin on (or almonds)
- 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)
Instructions
- Saute onions and herbs: Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, finely chopped onion, 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 the tomato passata to the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook for another 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomato thickens and darkens from red and watery to a deep, thick brown. This step is crucial for building the soup’s flavor.
- Simmer the soup: Stir in the drained cannellini beans followed by the vegetable stock. Adjust the heat so the soup bubbles very gently and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes to meld the flavors.
- Blend part of the soup: Transfer about 2/3 cup (150 ml) of the soup into a jug or suitable container for a hand blender. Blend until smooth, then stir this puree back into the soup to thicken and enrich the broth.
- Incorporate Picada: Just before serving, stir in 2 tablespoons of the prepared Picada sauce. Taste the soup and adjust salt as needed because canned beans can vary in salt content.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and top each serving with 1 teaspoon of the remaining Picada. Serve immediately with crusty bread such as easy artisan, no yeast bread, or French brioche for a satisfying meal.
- Prepare Picada: Preheat a small skillet over medium heat. Toast the hazelnuts, shaking the pan regularly until golden with a nutty aroma. Transfer nuts to a clean tea towel and rub vigorously to remove most of the bitter skin (not necessary if using almonds). Roughly chop the nuts and combine with parsley, garlic, olive oil, and salt in a jug. Blend with a stick blender until the texture is like pesto but not completely smooth. Use as directed in the soup recipe.
Notes
- Passata is smooth, strained pureed tomatoes, thicker than canned chopped tomatoes, and is easy to find in supermarkets.
- Substitute any white beans such as navy, lima, or butter beans if cannellini are unavailable. Colored beans can be used but may alter the soup's broth color.
- Using dried beans requires soaking (5 to 24 hours) and simmering until tender, then cooking them in the soup. For this recipe, 2.5 cups dried beans yield about 7 cups cooked beans, equivalent to 4 cans.
- Add salt carefully: canned beans contribute salt; if cooking with dried beans, add salt during cooking to taste carefully as per recipe notes.
- Homemade vegetable stock enhances flavor significantly, though low sodium store-bought stock works well.
- The original El Bulli recipe includes clams which can be added 5 minutes before the end if desired.
- Cooked soup keeps up to 4 days; Picada stirred into soup loses color but not flavor. Fresh Picada topping should be used within 2 days due to raw garlic.
- Serve with fresh crusty bread for the best experience.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approximately 250 ml)
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
