White Bean, Rice and Dill Soup

By Naz Deravian

Published Jan. 24, 2023

White Bean, Rice and Dill Soup
Bobbi Lin for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Eugene Jho.
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(4,876)
Comments
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This cozy, comforting pot of soup comes together quickly with a few pantry staples. Creamy canned navy beans and jasmine rice add body to a base of softened vegetables stained with turmeric. You may be tempted to add stock, but be assured that using water is enough here. The sum of the ingredients can stand on its own and doesn’t need the added boost of stock. (If you do add stock, be mindful of the amount of salt you use.) The dill – which can be dried or fresh – and turmeric brighten up the soup and offer a bright reminder of spring any time of year.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 6garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 2large carrots, scrubbed and finely chopped
  • 2celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 1large yellow onion, finely chopped
  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper 
  • ½teaspoon ground turmeric
  • Red-pepper flakes (optional), to taste
  • ⅓cup white jasmine rice, rinsed
  • 2(15-ounce) cans navy beans or cannellini beans, rinsed
  • 1tablespoon dried dill or ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
  • Lemon (optional), for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

310 calories; 10 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 45 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 552 milligrams sodium

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

    In a large pot, heat the oil over medium. Add the garlic, carrots, celery and onion; season with a good pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add the turmeric and red-pepper flakes (if using) and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans and dill; season everything well with salt (about 1½ tablespoons) and black pepper to taste. Stir and cook for 1 minute.

  3. Step 3

    Add 6 cups of water, stir, partially cover, raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover completely, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rice is completely soft and has released its starchy goodness, and the beans are creamy on the inside, about 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning as the soup simmers. Serve with lemon, if you like.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
4,876 user ratings
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Comments

Sabrina

I’m thinking that the 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt is a mistake. We follow that direction and the soup is so salty that we can’t eat it. I’m wondering if it should be 1 1/2 teaspoons.

David

Could you cook this with brown rice? I imagine you'd just increase the cooking time, but curious to hear what others think.

H. Ildari

I made this soup for lunch today. Delicious! I just added 2 tablespoons of tomato paste in step 1 to give the soup a bit of additional color and umami.

Katie

I thought it was a little bland. I added cumin, ginger, a little soy sauce, and lots of lemon juice. I think it was a little too much dill for my taste, but the texture was very good.

Debby

Not going to rate because I made some big changes, but it was delicious! I had accidentally opened a 32oz can of diced tomatoes a few days earlier and used them in place of much of the water. I also used precooked dried beans and brown rice. I added baby spinach at the end. Can’t speak for the original recipe but as made it is a new favorite.

Sabrina

I made this tonight, adapted for the Instant Pot, using dried beans and brown rice. It was delicious! I quick soaked 1 1/2 cups of Great Northern beans for the recipe. If you use the whole pound, which I did, it makes 1.5 times the recipe. Once the beans were soaked, I followed the recipe as written with a couple of small tweaks, using the sauté function on the Instant Pot to sauté the vegetables, then cooked under high pressure for 25 minutes after adding the beans, rice, broth, and salt. My handful of tweaks: I used leeks in place of half the onions because I had some on hand. I used vegetable broth instead of water and about little over a teaspoon of fine sea salt. Super tasty, and it’s even better the next day.

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