White Bean Soup

I was introduced to this recipe by one of my Dear Readers.  She explained that this soup is so good, even bean-haters will like it.

She has never met youngerSon.  Oh, well, theHubby and I thought it was delish.

The part of panchetta will be played this evening by Bacos®.

The directions call for pureeing the soup before serving, but there's no law that requires you to do it.   If you like, skip the immersion blender business and serve the beans intact.  This is America!  Bean Freedom!

I used chicken broth because the soup was served at a meat-based meal, but you can easily substitute veggie broth to create a parve/vegan version (and as long as you are substituting, optionally toss in a little parmesan cheese for dairy).

White Bean Soup
adapted from Williams-Sonoma
Serves 3-4

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 Tbl. bacos
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 medium-sized carrot, peeled and chopped
/2 celery stalk, chopped
2 Tbl. chopped garlic (bottled ok)
1 can (15 oz.) cannellini beans, drained 
1  can (15 oz.) chicken broth
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Handful of baked pita chips (I use Stacy's)

Finely chop carrots.   First slice lengthwise into strips, then slice across to make small pieces (so it will cook faster).

Then chop the half onion.  Slice through the onion a few times, making thick slices.

Then slice through the top a few times.

 Turn 90 degrees (the onion, not you) and slice through a few more times.

 Similar to the carrot, thinly slice the celery lengthwise.

 Then slice across. Set the veggies aside for a minute.

 Heat a 3- or 4-quart saucepan over medium heat.  When hot, add olive oil. Count to 10, then add the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes or until veggies begin to soften.

Toss in a small handful of Bacos and stir it around.

Plop on the garlic and stir for another minute.

Add the cannellini beans, broth and thyme and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.  It looks and tastes great as is, so you might want to skip the very next step. 

Remove the pan from the heat. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth.

Season with black pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls.  Garnish with pita chips.

Sorry, beans are not my style.