This Marcella Hazans white bean soup is a classic for a reason – it proves that simple is almost always the most satisfying. In this plant based dish, creamy white beans are the real star of the show, as they swirl around with parsley and garlic in broth.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 6 cups cooked cannellini or other white beans—either canned or cooked from 2 cups dried (recommended)
- Salt
- Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
- 1 cup homemade broth or water (or 1/3 cup canned beef stock diluted with 2/3 cup water)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Thick grilled or toasted slices of crusty bread (optional)
Instructions
Put the oil and chopped garlic in a soup pot and turn on the heat to medium. Cook the garlic, stirring it, until it becomes colored a very pale gold.
Add the drained cooked or canned beans, a pinch of salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Cover and simmer gently for 5 to 6 minutes.
Take about 1/2 cup of beans from the pot and puree them through a food mill back into the pot, together with all the broth. Alternately, use a blender, loosening with a bit of the broth. Simmer for another 5 to 6 minutes, taste, and correct for salt and pepper. Swirl in the chopped parsley and turn off the heat.
Ladle over the grilled bread slices into individual soup bowls
