Is there anything better than walking into the house on a cold January afternoon to the smell of rosemary and garlic? Maybe walking in the door and being greeted by my adorable husband and my plucky schnauzer, Sadie, with the smell of rosemary and garlic in the background.
I love a good soup. Hearty chili, a chunky acidic tomato, Moroccan lentil, a thick split pea, the possibilities are endless.
This week I played with an Ina Garten white bean soup recipe (found here). I veganized it and adapted it for the slow cooker. Because time. If I can save myself an hour and still have a hot meal in the end, I'm going to. The result was successful--even when rated by my meat-eating parents and husband. I just about halved the amount of broth to make for a thicker soup and used an immersion blender to puree the soup into the perfect consistency for being dipped into with herbed garlic bread. On the side, I served a lemony fennel green salad, my go-to salad these days. It was an easy and inexpensive meal that fed our souls and filled us with warmth on a cold January evening.
Tuscan White Bean Soup (adapted from Ina Garten's recipe)
I love a good soup. Hearty chili, a chunky acidic tomato, Moroccan lentil, a thick split pea, the possibilities are endless.
This week I played with an Ina Garten white bean soup recipe (found here). I veganized it and adapted it for the slow cooker. Because time. If I can save myself an hour and still have a hot meal in the end, I'm going to. The result was successful--even when rated by my meat-eating parents and husband. I just about halved the amount of broth to make for a thicker soup and used an immersion blender to puree the soup into the perfect consistency for being dipped into with herbed garlic bread. On the side, I served a lemony fennel green salad, my go-to salad these days. It was an easy and inexpensive meal that fed our souls and filled us with warmth on a cold January evening.
Tuscan White Bean Soup (adapted from Ina Garten's recipe)
- 1 lb bag dried cannellini beans
- 4 cups diced yellow onions (about 3 large onions)
- 1/4 cup good olive oil
- 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 large rosemary branches (5-7 inches each)
- 1 and 1/4 quarts low sodium vegetable stock
- 4 bay leaves
- a generous pinch or two of sea salt
- several turns of the pepper grinder
In a large bowl, soak the rinsed, sorted, and drained beans in about 8 cups of water overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning, drain the beans and rinse again.
In a large frying pan, saute the onions and olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Toss this mixture into the slow cooker. Add all other ingredients. Cook on low for 8 hours.
After 8 hours, use tongs to fish out the bay leaves and rosemary sticks. Then, using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Serve with crusty bread, or top with croutons or dried rosemary.
