Recipe: Rustic Bean Soup
We're all treasuring our cans of beans right now. Here's how to make good, comforting use of them.
Right now, a can of pinto beans is a welcome sight in the pantry. Have two cans? You can make this hearty, warming soup that takes not much time and not too many ingredients. Got a pound of dried beans and a slow cooker? Even better. Then you can make this soup and reap a bonus: extra beans to tuck into the freezer. Method is at the end of the recipe.
Canned light red kidney beans sub for pinto beans easily. Don’t drain them, their liquid makes up part of the broth for the soup. For dried beans, choose pinto or cranberry beans, called October beans in some parts of the country.
Accompanied with a salad, this soup will make a meal and it’s very nice topped with a big spoonful of Parmesan. For an even heartier bowl, toast a crusty slice of sturdy bread, rub it with a cut clove of garlic, drizzle it with olive oil and place it in the bowl. Ladle the soup over the toast, and add some Parmesan or a sprinkling of whatever cheese you have. Beans never tasted so good.
Rustic Bean Soup
Makes 6 cups, 4 servings
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium celery stalks with leaves, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 medium carrots or 1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
Two 15-ounce cans pinto or light red kidney beans, drained (liquid reserved), or
3 cups cooked pinto or cranberry beans with 2 cups cooking liquid (see below)
4 cups liquid: 1 ½ to 2 cups of bean can (or cooking) liquid, plus chicken or vegetable broth and/or water to equal 4 cups
One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Freshly ground black pepper
Grated Parmesan, for serving
1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic; sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cook, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the rosemary.
2. Stir in the beans, the 4 cups liquid, tomato sauce and tomato paste; increase the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and gently simmer for 20 minutes.
3. With a slotted spoon, scoop out 2 cups of beans and vegetables and puree in a food processor or blender until smooth.
4. Scrape the puree back into the soup and return it to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, until lightly thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot with grated Parmesan.
Note: If using dried beans, use this method from my friend Michelle Scicolone from her book The Italian Slow Cooker. Put 1 pound picked-over and rinsed (soaked or not) pinto or cranberry beans, 6 cups water and a sprig of rosemary in a 5-to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours until the beans are creamy and tender. Let cool. Reserve 3 cups of the beans and 2 cups bean cooking liquid for making the soup. Freeze the remaining beans for another meal.
