White Bean Soup

Comforting Mediterranean white bean soup with tomatoes, vegetables, rosemary and greens in a light herb broth.

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This pantry-friendly soup becomes creamy without cream by lightly crushing some of the beans near the end of cooking.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion (diced)
• 2 carrots (diced)
• 2 celery stalks (diced)
• 4 garlic cloves (minced)
• 800 g canned cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
• 400 g chopped tomatoes
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 120 g baby spinach or kale
• 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp black pepper

Step-by-step method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook for 7–8 minutes until the vegetables soften and the onion looks translucent.
2. Add the garlic and oregano and stir for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, beans, stock and rosemary sprig.
3. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes so the vegetables become tender and the broth picks up the herb flavour.
4. Scoop about 1 cup of beans and vegetables into a bowl and mash them with a fork, then stir them back into the soup. This thickens the broth naturally.
5. Add the spinach or kale and simmer for 3–5 minutes until tender. Remove the rosemary sprig.
6. Stir in the lemon juice and black pepper. Taste before adding more salt, especially if your stock and canned beans were salted.
7. Let the soup stand for 5 minutes before serving. Finish with a small drizzle of olive oil and serve with toasted bread if desired.