Tuscan Bean Garden Soup

I'm finally back with a new recipe -  hearty, savory, warming soup, perfect for a chilly night¹ or just a regular old soup craving.

So, I'd been really wanting a creamy Tuscan-style bean soup, like the one my father used to bring home from the Italian banquet hall when we were little, but nothing I'd found could match up. That soup was, I'm fairly certain, not vegan². Well, this one I'm about to share is vegan³ , organic⁴, and all those other wonderful things for which this blog is known. Garlic and rosemary add the classic Tuscan flavors to the (slight) twist on a classic Tuscan white bean soup.

To be honest, I'm not much of a soup-preparer⁵. I used to be, and I'd very much like to be again. I even own a Crock-Pot to make things more convenient, but I lack whatever it is that makes one actually prepare a soup. I don't know what happened because I feel like. once upon a time, I was making soup constantly⁶. Well, this soup has has returned me to my soup-preparing days⁷. I love it so much, I want to make it all of the time!

When I cook meals/savory dishes, I tend to cook by instinct and save the weighing and measuring for baking. So, I ended up making this soup twice, measuring what I was doing the second time, just so I could share it.

As I mentioned above, (nearly) all of the ingredients I used in the soup are organic - the bouillon includes some non-organic maltodextrin - but whether you choose to make it organic is clearly optional. Also, it's soup; you could probably follow the recipe fairly loosely and it will still be delicious.  However, if you really want it to be 100% organic, leave out the bouillon; although most ingredients in the bouillon are organic, there are a couple that aren't.⁸

This recipe includes a few more veggies than a traditional Tuscan white bean soup, hence the "garden". I chose to dice all of the veggies for this version because I wanted a smoother/less-chunky consistency. The prep was a bit more time-consuming, but the cook-time decreased, so it evened out.⁹ I also wanted the potatoes to break down a bit to release their starches into the soup. Feel free to chop bigger pieces, if you prefer, but prepare for a possible difference in consistency.

I highly recommend preparing the pasta separately and adding it to individual bowls upon serving, to keep the pasta from soaking up the soup liquid and becoming bloated and soggy.¹⁰ If you have leftovers the Barilla GF pasta will re-heat pretty well. Simply add it directly to the soup when reheating. This soup is even better the next day, to be perfectly honest.

Tuscan Bean Garden Soup
(serves 4-5)
Prep Time: 30mins            Cook Time:25mins

Ingredients

• 3-4 medium Carrots (diced)
• 4 stalks Celery (diced)
• 4oz Crimini Mushrooms (diced)
• 3 medium yellow or red potatoes (diced)
• 1/2 Large Sweet Onion, or 1 small, (diced)
• 4-5 Cloves of garlic (diced)
• 4ish handfuls of raw Baby Spinach (rough chopped)
• 2  15oz (or 15.5oz) cans of White Canellini or White Northern Beans
• 2-3 Sprigs of fresh Rosemary leaves (chopped).
• 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Edward & Sons Not-Chikn Bouillon Cube [Optional]
• 6 Cups of Water
• Salt & Pepper to Taste
• Pastina (something small) - I used 200g/half a box of Barilla* GF Ditalini that I brought back from Italy; the Barilla GF Elbows will work just fine, and can be found easily in most supermarkets.
• Violife - or other- Parmesan (grated) for garnish [Optional]

* Barilla GF pastas contain Corn.


Preparation Instructions 

1. Add the olive oil to a 4+ Quart Pot.

2. Over medium heat saute the garlic just until it becomes aromatic and slightly soft. Take care to not overcook.

3. Still over medium heat, add the onion, celery, carrot, and potato and saute, covering briefly, until everything looks like it's starting to soften and the onions become translucent. About 5ish minutes.

4. Add the mushrooms. Continue to saute, stirring fairly frequently, until the mushrooms begin to release their water.

5. Add the 6 cups of water to the sauteed mixture. You can heat the water before adding, if you wish.

6. Once the soup begins to simmer/boil, add the bouillon (if using), then add the rosemary. Add salt and pepper to taste, once the bouillon has dissolved.

7. Reduce the heat, if necessary, and allow the soup to simmer for 20ish minutes, or until the vegetables are all quite tender.

8. While the soup is cooking, prepare the pasta and the beans. 

• In a separate pot of boiling salted water. Cook the pasta until al-dente. Drain and set aside.

• Drain the beans. Remove and set aside 1/2 a can of beans. Take the remaining 1.5 cans and blend them in a blender, mini blender, or food processor until mostly smooth - a few chunks are good.

9. Once the soup vegetables are tender, add the pureed beans, and the 1/2 can of whole beans. Stir until the pureed beans are well incorporated. Then add the spinach and allow to the soup to cook for 5-7 more mins or until the spinach wilts and the beans are warm.

10. Serve! Add desired amount of prepared pasta to serving bowls and cover with soup.  If desired, top with some grated Violife Parmesan¹¹, Follow Your Heart Shredded Parmesan, or any other vegan (or non-vegan) parm you desire.

The Barilla GF Ditalini Rigati I brought from Italy. Barilla GF Elbows will work just as well.

ENJOY!



1. Not many of those around here, unfortunately... never thought I'd be saying that.
2. Chicken Stock!
3. Obviously.
4. If you so choose, no pressure.
5. Is that a word?
6. That might be an exaggeration,
7. I think.
8. As previously mentioned.
9. Win.
10. Not so nice.
11, This is what I used. Yum!



[Disclosure: This post includes an affiliate link, which means I may receive a commission, at no cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase.]

Read more ...

French Onion Miso Soup

Many many years ago the BFF and I enjoyed a delicious French Onion soup at a local vegan/vegetarian restaurant. Part of the soup base included miso. Despite not generally being a fan of miso, the BFF raved and raved about it and wanted me to recreate it for him. ¹

Sure, I thought, why not?

If there's one thing I can pretty confidently say about my cooking skills, it's that I'm good at recreating savory dishes, once I've tasted them and without a recipe.
I can't explain why, it's just something I've always been able to do. Baked goods, however, were an entirely different story... until recently.²

Back to soup though... I had to think about that one for ahwile. I had never eaten French Onion Soup before that day³, and I hadn't eaten/tasted the soup consciously.⁴
The first version I sort of threw together. It was good, - the BFF ate it - but something was definitely missing. I didn't consider it much of a success and - not having much of a history with French Onion Soup to begin with- didn't bother even trying to make it again... until years later, when the BFF asked again.⁵
 

Not the first draft.

OK, I thought. So if, I was going to try this another time, and inundate my apartment with the smell of onions, I was going to make it count.

For the second go, I went ahead and peeked at a run-of-the-mill French Onion Soup Recipe and noticed what I hadn't paid attention to in tasting years back.⁶  To be honest, I was sort of annoyed with myself, because it was so simple. In fact, this recipe requires only 6 ingredients, including the herbs. There are no fancy steps involved, no reductions or pre-prep,  yet the outcome is a truly delicious soup, that I would happily make (and eat) again (and again).

I served the soup in the traditional way, with a toasted bread and melted cheeze, but this is completely optional. The soup was excellent on its own.
P.S. I didn't make my own vegan/gf bread([!!] - I know...); I cut up some store bought, and toasted it in the oven, until dry and crisp. The bread is still vegan, gluten free and allergy friendly; that counts for something.

French Onion Miso
(serves 3-4)

• 2 Large Yellow Onions
• 1/3 Cup Chickpea Miso (red soy miso is nice too - make sure it's Organic/Non-GMO!)
• 2 Quarts Filtered Water
• 2 Tbsp Organic Balsamic Vinegar
• 2-4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 Tbsp Thyme
• 4-5 Slices of your favorite Vegan/GF/Allergy-Free Bread
• Daiya Mozzarella Shreds

Peel the onions. Slice off the top ends, and cutting from top to root, slice them into 1/4 slices.
Cut each slice (it's easiest to stack the slices and cut several at once) into halves or quarters, depending on desired length.

Place the onions into a medium-large stock pot along with the miso, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.
Sauté over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the the onions begin to soften and the miso, vinegar and oil have combined and evenly coated the onions.

The improved version.

Add the water, and bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 40-45 more minutes, or until the onions are completely tender and translucent.
Note: Chickpea miso tends to be a bit less salty than soy miso (at least the one I use is). Feel free to add a bit more miso or a few pinches of sea salt, to suit your taste.

While the soup is cooking, you can prepare and toast the bread. I simply cut a few slices of a store-bought (vegan/gf/allergy-friendly) loaf into large squares and toasted them for 40 minutes at 200F. It struck me afterwards that it would have made a nice presentation to cut the bread into circles, using a biscuit cutter. The downside of this method would be leftover bits of bread scrap.

Once the soup is ready, and the bread is toasted. Prepare the bowls for serving.
Crank up the oven to the broiler setting or 500F.
Ladle the individual servings into ramekins or other oven-proof bowls. Float your bread pieces or disks on top of the soup, and cover with however much Daiya floats your boat Gluten Free toast.

Arrange the ramekins/bowls on a baking sheet. Place them under the broiler for 5-10 minutes, or until the Daiya is fully melted - or leave them a bit longer, until the Daiya is bubbly and slightly browned.

Serve (carefully) and Enjoy!

1. He loves onions though; they totally trumped the miso.
2. Of course, they're all Cucina Libera-fied/Libera-ted (dork alert!... yet again)
3. Honestly!
4. Yes, I know. Hardly mindful eating.
5. Apparently, he forgot the previous uninspired soup, in that time.
6. There's a good mindful eating lesson here, kids.

Read more ...