Puréed White Bean Soup With Pistou
Published December 12, 2011
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 2 hours 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound white beans, soaked for six hours (or overnight) and drained
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh sage
2 ½ to 3 quarts water, as needed (or 2 ½ quarts water and up to 2 cups milk as needed)
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper
About ⅓ cup pistou
Garlic croutons for garnish (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
50 grams carbs; 273 calories; 1 gram fat; 13 grams fiber; 1254 milligrams sodium; 18 grams protein; 3 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
- Step 1
Combine the onion, garlic, drained beans, bay leaf, sage and 2 ½ quarts water in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 2 hours, until the beans are very tender and the broth is fragrant. Remove the bay leaf and sage sprig.
- Step 2
Using an immersion blender, purée the soup (or you can use a regular blender, working in batches and placing a kitchen towel over the top to avoid splashing) until it is very smooth. Return to the pot, heat through, add freshly ground pepper and adjust salt. Thin out as desired with water or milk.
- Step 3
Ladle the soup into bowls. Stir the pistou, and if it is very stiff, thin out with a little olive oil so that you can drizzle it into each bowl and it won’t just fall in as a clump. Put about 2 teaspoons on each bowl, add a few garlic croutons if desired, and serve. Diners should stir the pistou into the soup for the best flavor.
Advance preparation: You can make the soup through Step 1 a few days in advance and refrigerate. It will thicken as it sits, so you'll want to thin it out when you reheat.
Private Notes
Comments
This was so much more flavorful than any other veggie white bean soup I have ever made because of the pesto! Although I did add a squeeze of lemon to each bowl with the other toppings. I used 3 cans of cannellini beans because I didn't have dried, and adjusted water quantity. I also sautéed the onions and garlic with a small-dice carrots and celery before adding the other ingredients. I tossed in some baby spinach near the end of cooking the soup.
I have been making this soup for a four or five years now. It’s a family favorite (even originally with my pre-teen daughter, whose now my 16 year old). I tend to make a double batch, and always double the called for amount of sage.
questions: why isn't the pistou recipe included and how do I adjust the water if I use canned beans?
This souped looked very interesting but I felt it needed a bit of pizzazz. So, after soaking large Lima beans overnight, I cooked as directed and salted generously (after all, Rancho Gordo says you gotta show ‘em who’s boss). While they softened (in less than an hour) I sautéed up thinly sliced carrots, celery, and 1 plump leek till a bit caramelized. Added this mixture to the puréed beans along with more fresh sage. Finally we topped each bowl with a yummy kale pistou (thanks to @loveandlemons - pepitas, garlic, parm cheese, curly kale, lemon juice and lots of extra virgin olive oil). Deliciousness in a bowl drizzled with some hot honey.
Simple, savory, healthy, easy weeknight meal. I used extra fresh sage which came in nicely.