creamy white bean soup
by @rainbowplantlife
“this creamy white bean soup with kale and gremolata is a hearty yet healthy soup perfect for winter! vegan, gluten-free, and full of flavor thanks to three secret ingredients! I promise you this soup will exceed your expectations!” -Nisha Vora
creamy white bean soup
“this creamy white bean soup with kale and gremolata is a hearty yet healthy soup perfect for winter! vegan, gluten-free, and full of flavor thanks to three secret ingredients! I promise you this soup will exceed your expectations!” -Nisha Vora
ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large sweet onion diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 1/2 – 4 cups (~825-946 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Bouquet garni: 2 bay leaves + 1 large sprig of sage + 1 large (or 2 small) sprigs rosemary, tied tightly together with kitchen twine
1 medium Yukon gold potato (about 6 ounces or 170g), peeled and diced
3 1/2 cups (~840-880 grams) cooked cannellini beans, or 2 (15-ounce) cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can artichoke hearts (400g), drained and chopped finely (optional)
5 cups (~125g) lacinato kale, shredded
gremolata
1 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed
1/2 cup basil leaves, loosely packed
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 organic lemons
Coarse or flaky sea salt
Good-quality extra virgin olive oil (for finishing)
it's so
easy!
directions
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion, celery, and carrots, along with a pinch or two of salt. Cook until the vegetables are softened and starting to just turn brown, 6-8 minutes.
Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook another 1-2 minutes until very fragrant.
Pour in the vegetable broth and deglaze the pot, stirring up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the 1 teaspoon kosher salt, black pepper to taste, bouquet garni, potatoes, cannellini beans, and artichokes (if using). Stir well.
Bring the soup to a boil. Then reduce heat, cover the pot, and simmer the soup for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
While the soup is simmering, make the Gremolata.
Finely chop the parsley and basil.
Using a Microplane, grate the garlic directly over the parsley and basil. Then zest the lemons on top of this mixture, taking care to not zest the white pith underneath the skin.
Mix the garlic and lemon zest into the herbs and chop the herbs until they’re finely minced. Sprinkle with a bit of the coarse or flaky sea salt.
Transfer half of the soup to a blender and blend until thick and smooth. Then return this pureed soup back to the pot. Or, you can run an immersion blender throughout half of the soup, but be sure to not blend it all – you want to retain some texture.
Add the kale to the soup and simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until the kale is tender but still bright green. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt as needed. When the soup is done, remove the bouquet garni.
Serve the soup in bowls and sprinkle a generous amount of the Gremolata over each bowl and a drizzle of the extra virgin olive oil.
