I can’t leave well enough alone, so after looking at a half a dozen recipes for Tuscan White Bean Soup, I came up with my own. This is a truly delicious vegetable, and vegetarian, soup. I added a garnish of crisp bacon bits as a last minute topping, but it could just as easily have been croutons or a sprinkling of parmersan cheese.
Ingredients
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 medium carrot peeled and diced
- 2-3 slices fennel finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic grated
- 2 whole bay leaves
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cartons chicken stock
- 2 cans (8 oz) cannellini beans
- 2-3 handfuls baby spinach
- Garnish (optional)
- 2-3 slices crisp bacon finely diced
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients before starting the recipe.
- Heat oil in a medium stock pot over medium heat.
- Add chopped onion, fennel, celery and carrot and sauté under a lid for about 6-8 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add bay leaves and grated garlic and stir to combine, sauté for one more minute. Season with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Add 2 cartons of chicken stock, adjust seasoning and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes.
- Add beans and fresh baby spinach and stir to combine. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the spinach becomes limp.
Garnish
- Dice 2-3 slices of bacon and fry until crisp, 5-6 minutes. Drain and sprinkle on soup when serving.
