Potato and White Bean Puttanesca Soup

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Published December 9, 2020

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
4(2,248)
Comments
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Potatoes and cannellini beans provide the bulk in this hearty soup inspired by pasta puttanesca, while the garlicky tomato base is imbued with the briny punch of capers and black olives. The signature of puttanesca is heat, so adjust the amount of red-pepper flakes to your liking or use fresh chiles, if you have them. Reserve some of the olives and capers, and combine with parsley to make a topper that amplifies the sharp, bright flavors. Haphazardly mashing some of the beans and potatoes is an efficient way to thicken the soup, without the need for any additional equipment. In fact, it’s a great trick to have up your sleeve whenever you are looking to thicken soups or stews.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving

  • 1 medium onion, finely diced (about 2 cups)

  • ½ cup black olives, roughly chopped

  • 2 tablespoons capers, roughly chopped

  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

  • ½ teaspoon granulated sugar

  • 1 ½ pound Yukon gold or red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed

  • ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, or more to taste

  • 3 cups vegetable stock

  • ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves and tender stems (or fresh basil leaves)

  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

  • Kosher salt and black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

72 grams carbs; 413 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 10 grams fat; 15 grams fiber; 1773 milligrams sodium; 14 grams protein; 11 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the onion, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened.

  2. Step 2

    Reduce heat to medium and add ¼ cup black olives, 1 tablespoon capers and the garlic. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the garlic is lightly golden.

  3. Step 3

    Add the tomatoes and sugar, and cook over medium heat until mixture is bubbling and tomatoes have thickened slightly, 5 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Add the potatoes, cannellini beans, red-pepper flakes and stock; stir and cover. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    As potatoes cook, prepare the topping for your soup: Place the remaining ¼ cup olives, 1 tablespoon capers and the parsley on a cutting board, and chop everything together.

  6. Step 6

    Once the potatoes are tender, add the balsamic vinegar. Using the back of a large wooden spoon, roughly crush or mash about a quarter of the potatoes and beans against the side of the pot. This will thicken the soup. Season with kosher salt and black pepper.

  7. Step 7

    To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with the caper-olive-parsley topping. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil. This soup can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator. This will deepen the flavors.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,248 user ratings
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Comments

Ian

This often happens when cooking potatoes and tomatoes together. The acidity in the tomatoes can inhibit the breakdown of cell walls in the potatoes. They will break down eventually, but it can take much longer than anticipated depending on tomato acidity and type of potato. To avoid this problem you could partially pre-cook the potatoes before adding to tomatoes.

Gina

This is delicious! I only had dried beans so I put everything but the olives, capers, parsley and balsamic into the Instant Pot for 30 mins on high. Quick released at the end and stirred in the reserved ingredients. We ate it with buttered french bread. I used 1 cup dried beans to replace the canned beans.

Marlena

Add 1/2 can drained and patted dryvanchovies to step 2 or use several splashes of fish sauce. Reduce salt accordingly.

Nina

My husband and I had leftover thin grilled pork chops, so I adapted this tasty recipe to make a meal out of them, cutting up the meat and adding it near the end to make a stew-like dish rather than soup. Omitted potatoes, and used a little over one cup of broth of broth instead of three. I added a couple of anchovies to the onions, used only one tablespoon of capers and less red pepper flakes than the recipe suggested, but otherwise followed it. It was delicious, and would work with any leftover meat.

Aus Mum

So yummy on first cold night of the year. I used kidney beans as I had no cannelloni on hand. Instead of canned tomatoes I added some fresh passata I made from a glut of tomatoes. Also threw in some red capsicum/peppers I had roasted and preserved in garlic and EVOO. Served with croutons made from old sourdough tossed in EVOO, salt pepper, garlic and finely grated parmigiano. My new favourite soup.

Chatt fan

Precooked the potatoes about 20 minutes until a knife would insert easily; drained and set aside ‘til all the other ingredients were simmering, then added the potatoes in for another 15 minutes or so — they were perfect. Added about a tablespoon of mashed anchovy in, forgot the balsamic and topped with the chopped capers/olives/parsley and Romano. Totally delicious Sunday night supper & leftovers will no doubt be better! I also used the potato masher to get a chunky consistency.

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