Tomato & white bean soup
Tomato & white bean soup is an easy, endlessly adaptable winter recipe that celebrates the flavors of the summer garden.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound dried white beans I use navy beans
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 sprigs rosemary
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 1 bunch kale leaves de-stemmed and chopped
Toppings
- 4 eggs, poached or fried
- 1/2 cup parmesan, divided
Instructions
- In a large pot, cover the beans with enough cold water to have about 2 inches of water above the beans. Leave overnight or at least 8 hours.
- Drain the beans and cover with fresh water by an inch. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to the lowest setting, and simmer for 1-2 hours. Your timing here will vary depending on the freshness of your beans and how long you soaked them. Add more water to cover if needed.They are done when the beans are tenderDrain the beans and reserve 1.5 cups of cooking water.
- Cook the onion, carrot, and celery in 1/4 cup of olive oil with a pinch of salt until tender (about 10 minutes)
- Add in the garlic and cook for one more minute
- Add in the can of tomatoes, and crush in the pot. Cook until the tomatoes start to break down, about 5 minutes.Add in beans, the liquid from the canned tomatoes, and the water reserved from cooking the beans. Add the optional parmesan rind and the herbs tied together in a bouquet garni for easy removal.Note, you can substitute dried hers, one teaspoon each of rosemary and thyme.Simmer for 20 minutes.
- While the soup is cooking, fry eggs in butter.
- Remove the herbs and parmesan rind. Ladle into bowls and top each bowl with an egg, grated parmesan, and a drizzle of olive oil. They look really nice topped with a bit of chopped fresh parley if you have it.