Foodie Blogroll

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Tuscan White Bean Soup

Here is a quick easy wonderful soup! It is something I can make most anytime, because I usually have all the ingredients on hand. I have cut the recipe in half, because we have a small family.
I first saw Giada De Laurentiis make this on Food Network's Everyday Italian.

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup (Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 sage leaf
2 (15-ounce) cans cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cloves garlic, cut in 1/2
1/2 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and shallot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sage and beans and stir to combine. Add the stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the garlic and simmer until the garlic is softened, about 10 minutes. Pour the soup into a large bowl. Carefully ladle 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful to hold the top of the blender tightly, as hot liquids expand when they are blended. Pour the blended soup back into the soup pan. Puree the remaining soup. Once all the soup is blended and back in the soup pan, add the cream and the pepper Keep warm, covered, over very low heat.


I did this pretty much as is, but I used my stick blender to puree the beans.
I use this for my black bean soup as well. I love this kitchen gadget!

When I made half the recipe it seemed a little thicker than this one which I followed pretty much as is, except that I used some dried sage in with the shallots as well as the sage leaf. I think you can adjust the liquid to the consistency that you like. I also used Great Northern Beans instead of cannelloni

This is so good and easy to make! Sprinkle a little flake sea salt on top.

Perfect for a week night meal, served with a nice salad, and some crusty bread! It's good for lunch the next day too! I had it today!

Yes, it's that good! Good to that last bit! Enjoy! Do you have a quick easy go-to week night meal?

33 comments:

  1. I have a similar recipe and I love it :) I love pasta with spinach and garlic for an easy week-night meal.

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  2. Ooo, that's a good one, because spinach is something I always seem to have on hand too. I like to add pesto to pasta and veggies. Thanks Erica!

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  3. I usually like my soup chunky but this looks awesome! I love my hand blender too!

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  4. The soup looks so smooth and creamy! Such comforting meal. Yes, absolutely terrific with garlic french bread.

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  5. Debbi, that is what is so nice about the hand blender, you can leave it as chucky as you like. I do that with the black bean soup.

    Kristy, yes, perfect with garlic french bread! Yum!

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  6. Must be some a flavorsome soup!

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  7. I love bean soups that have been zapped with a hand blender!

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  8. Ha ha it seems like lately we've all been craving quick cooking legume based dishes :) You just saw the chickpea with sausage and pork I made, and one of my spanish blogger buddies posted a quick chickpea, spinach and blood sausage dish. And now you make this quick white bean stew I see a trend happening and I love it lol.

    Well here's some quick dishes to me for when i want to get out of the kitchen.

    (1) "Huevo Frito Con Arroz" (fried eggs over rice) I always have rice in the rice cooker so I just need to fry eggs and ta-da quick and filling. I'll usually fry plantains which takes me like 6 minutes then fry eggs when done with that to serve over my rice which takes like 2 minutes. So rice with fried eggs and a side of plantains yum. Or sometimes instead of plantains some sliced avocado mmmm...

    (2) Cuban liver steaks smothered in onions "Higado Encebollado" I just season the liver with fresh garlic paste, salt, and white vinegar. Heat oil to smoking point and brown them quickly less than 1 minute on each side (it gets that hot) they brown quick, I drain some oil and sautee lots of julienned onions nad de-glaze with lime serve it with rice and whatever left overs :)

    (3) Any thin cut pan-fried meats smothered in onions are pretty quick as well. Just season and fry on both sides on high heat (usually marinade them with garlic paste, lime or lemon or bitter orange, salt, pepper and cumin) and sautee onions in the browned bits and de-glaze with lime.

    Those are the one's that came to mind :)

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  9. That looks yummy and comforting! Crusty bread is the perfect accompaniment!

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  10. I love white bean soup! This is reminding me winter is just around the corner :)

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  11. cette soupe est très légère et savoureuse j'ai envie d'y plonger ma cuillère
    bonne journée

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  12. This looks wonderful. I can imagine that this would be nice and thick and creamy. Love it.
    *kisses* HH
    ps. love giada

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  13. Tigerfish,
    Ah, yes very flavorful!

    Kathleen,
    I know, I love that thing so easy too, no dealing with hot liquids in a blender.

    Nathan,
    Thanks, I knew I could count on you! They all three look fantastic and perfect for a quick week night meal!

    Susanyuen,
    Thanks, garlic bread in nice with it too!

    3HT,
    It's nice for winter and summer, it doesn't take that long on the stove to make.

    Zia Elle,
    Yes, it is good!

    Fimère,
    Je vais avoir une grosse cuillère pour vous prêt pour le grand saut.

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  14. We love this soup, too! I sometimes add crumbled bacon on top, if I'm feeling naughty!

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  15. I use cannellini beans to make Fagioli all'uccelletto a typical tuscan recipe where beans are paired with a creamy tomato sauce!

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  16. oh wow, the white bean soup looks delicious with all the garlic and sage! My weeknight go to meal is a lentil soup - so hearty and feeling with some crusty bread that I hardly need anything else for dinner.

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  17. Heavenly Housewife,
    I love Giada too! I do use many of her recipes! Love her desserts too!

    TKW,
    Oh yes, it would be great with bacon sprinkled on to, but only on those naughty days! :)

    Oriana,
    That sounds good too, I'll have to check out your blog for that one!

    PJ,
    I can do hearty bean or lentil soups too, that will do me just fine for dinner! Mmmm...

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  18. This soup looks so smooth and delicious. I like it. Thanks for sharing.

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  19. The soup looks splendid. Giada always comes up with awesome, easy to make, elegant soups! Love to have the bowl to myself.

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  20. oh wow great soup and easy I must try this one

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  21. I love this type of soup. Flavorful, easy and quick.

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  22. I have all the ingredients on hand to make this soup. Thanks! That is what we are having for dinner tonight :-)

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  23. Thanks ladies! That's what's so nice about this soup, it's easy to have all the ingredients on hand! Besides being quick and easy and tasty!

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  24. This sounds so easy and I love Giada's recipes. I also use my stick blender a lot. Great tool.
    Sam

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  25. Mmmm ... that looks like just the thing for lunch as we enter our cold African Winter months here - great, too, that all the ingredients are ones which I often have in my store cupboard ;)

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  26. lovely bean soup...comfort food at its best!

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  27. I saw Giada make that too and I'm glad to hear it's as good as it looked! I'll put it on my list to make. I love soups, although we're getting into the time of year when I don't eat them much.

    (Just read your comment to Rebecca and almost fell out of my chair. My sister lives in Grand Haven! Small world.)

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  28. Sam, yes I use a lot of Giada's recipes!

    Lynda, that's what I like about it, easy to have the ingredients on hand! You don't have to add the cream it seems creamy without it.

    Meena, thank you!

    Barbara, This soup is fine even now when it's a little warmer out, it doesn't take that long to cook, and it goes well with salads!

    That is so funny, it's such a small world. My grandparents used to live in Spring Lake. I love Grand Haven, it was like our second hometown.

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  29. Flavorful and comforting soup..I love this kind of soups :-)

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  30. I love my immersion blender too! It looks like another great recipe from Giada.

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  31. This is a beautiful soup. I am from Florida too. The weather is beautiful these days, isn't it?

    Nisrine

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  32. I love bean soup! So simple...but it really is delicious! One of my favorites.

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