If you like pureed, creamy-style soups, minus the cream, open a few cans of cannellini beans. With them and a few other ingredients you can simmer and whirl up a comforting, silky, creamy-in-texture, Tuscan-style winter soup, which is what I did.
Canned cannellini beans, also known as white kidney beans, are, of course, available at most supermarkets. They are fat- and cholesterol-free and a good source of protein, fibre, iron and other minerals.
To make my soup, those beans were drained, rinsed with cold water and drained again. In the past some readers have asked me why I drain away and not use the liquid that surrounds the beans in the can. It’s because that liquid has little flavour, is starchy, is cloudy and muddled looking, and is often rich with sodium, things that won’t enhance the flavour and look of a soup or other dish.
Once the beans were drained, in a pot I sautéed onions in olive oil, and then mixed in garlic and other flavourings. Broth, which could be vegetable or chicken, depending on your dietary preference, and the drained beans, were added to the pot and the soup was simmered 10 minutes. The soup is then blended until silky smooth, seasoned with salt and pepper, ladled into bowls, and topped with easy-to-make homemade croutons.
The end result is a filling bowl of soup you can serve for lunch. In the Eric’s options portion of the recipe you can learn of other tasty ways to top the soup.
Note: I like using the canned cannellini beans for soup because they puree up nicely and are quick to use. That said, if you want to use dried cannellini beans to make the soup, one and a third cups of them, when soaked and simmered until tender, should yield the four cups of drained, canned beans used in the recipe.
Tuscan-style Bean Soup with Herb Garlic Croutons
This easy-to-prepare and comforting Italian-style bean soup is topped with homemade herb- and garlic-flavoured croutons.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: about 20 minutes
Makes: four servings
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup diced onion (about 1 small onion)
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tsp dried sage leaves
• pinch or 2 red pepper flakes
3 3/4 cups vegetable or chicken broth (see Eric’s options)
3 (14-oz/398 mL) cans cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained well, rinsed with cold water, and drained well again
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Herb Garlic Croutons, to taste (see recipe below and Eric’s options)
• chopped fresh parsley, to taste (optional)
• extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling (optional)
Place oil in a pot and set over medium, medium-high heat (my pot was eight inches wide and four inches tall). Add the onion and cook until softened, about four minutes. Mix in garlic, sage and pepper flakes and cook one minute more.
Add the broth and beans to the pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat, as needed, to maintain that gentle simmer. Simmer soup 10 minutes. Puree the soup in a food processor or blender, or in the pot with an immersion (hand) blender.
Set the soup back on the heat, return to a simmer, and then taste and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, top each serving with croutons, chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil, if using the latter two, and enjoy.
Eric’s options: If you’re a meat eater, you could also top bowls of the soup with crispy, diced bits of fried, drained, pancetta or smoky bacon, to taste. If you like cheese, try topping the soup with nuggets of gorgonzola cheese, to taste. If making homemade croutons is too much trouble for you, simple serve the soup with slices of your favourite, hearty. rustic-style of bread
Herb Garlic Croutons
This recipe yields herbaceous, garlicky, golden, crispy croutons you can set on bowls of the Tuscan-style bean soup. Any croutons leftover after using some on the soup can be kept in jar and saved for another use, such as using on a salad.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 to 22 minutes
Makes: Two cups
2 cups rustic white bread, cut into small 1/2-inch cubes (see Note)
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 to 3 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, unless non-stick.
Place bread in a bowl. Add oil, oregano, basil and garlic powder and toss to combine.
Spread bread in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake eight minutes, and then give bread a stir. Bake four to six minutes more, or until you have golden, crispy croutons.
Remove croutons from the oven and then sprinkle and toss with the parmesan cheese, if using. Cool croutons to room temperature. Once cooled, transfer to a tight-sealing jar and store at room temperature until needed for the bean soup or other use. The croutons will keep at least a week.
Note: The rustic style of white bread I used for the croutons was made by Victoria’s Wild Fire Bakery (wildfirebakery.ca). Other types of dense, hearty, country-style white bread from other bakeries will also work here.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
