Happy Holidays & Winter Solstice, everyone!
Now that winter is upon us, it’s time to break out the soup pot and warm ourselves up after playing in the snow. This isn’t a vegetable soup by title, but wait until you see how many veggies are actually in it! Make this soup, and you’re covered with getting in protein and vegetables!
White Bean Soup with Olive Tapenade
2 15oz cans white beans (use another can if you want thicker soup!)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped finely
1 large leek (just the white part), sliced thin
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery stalks, chopped finely
1 large carrot (or 2 small), chopped finely
1 small fennel bulb, chopped finely
8 cups water
2 bouillon cubes (or 2 packets chicken or veggie stock concentrate)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped finely
1 large leek (just the white part), sliced thin
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery stalks, chopped finely
1 large carrot (or 2 small), chopped finely
1 small fennel bulb, chopped finely
8 cups water
2 bouillon cubes (or 2 packets chicken or veggie stock concentrate)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
salt and pepper to taste
What you’ll need for the Olive Tapenade:
1 garlic clove (give it a rough chop)
1 small bunch fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1 6oz/8oz bottle almond stuffed olives (found these in store with other canned olives)
5 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove (give it a rough chop)
1 small bunch fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1 6oz/8oz bottle almond stuffed olives (found these in store with other canned olives)
5 tablespoon olive oil
What you’ll do:
Prepare the tapenade first by added all ingredients in a food chopper/processor. Set aside for topping soup and/or bread.
Chop all vegetables and soup ingredients before cooking. Heat oil in a large soup pot. Cook onions and leeks for about 3-4 minutes with the pot covered. When they get soft, add in the carrots, celery, garlic, and fennel. Stir and cook for another few minutes. Add in water, stock/bouillon, herbs and bring to a bowl. Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for about a 1/2 hour. Add in beans and cook for another 10 minutes. I used an immersion hand blender for this step to puree the soup. Otherwise you can puree in a blender, just be careful! Salt and pepper the soup before serving and you can turn heat off and cool at this point. Toss in some of the tapenade for added value!
Meet Kris here for more adventures!