Tuscan White Bean Soup

Jane Fox Thursday, November 7, 2019 No Comment

Vegan and Gluten Free
Serendipity Jane
Original Recipe: Jane Fox

Tuscan White Bean Soup is a hearty bean soup full of the goodness of carrots, onions, kale, and flavored with vegan “chicken” broth, white wine, rosemary and thyme. Garnish with Vegan Parmesan and serve it with a crusty vegan and gluten free baguette, like Udis. Don’t skip the bread. You’ll want to sop up every last bit of soup in the bowl.

My Story

Last year,on a brisk fall day, I was standing in line to check out at Sprouts with all of the ingredients to make my favorite chili. I was wishing I had another recipe that was as hearty and flavorful and effort free as my chili. Don’t get me wrong, I love chili, but sometimes, I want something like chili, that’s hearty, and flavorful and satisfying. I glanced at the cart of the elegantly dressed woman in front of me. Hmmmm, I thought, I wonder what she is going to make with that? She had a can of great Northern beans, an onion, and a package of fresh thyme. I checked out, but as serendipity often works, those ingredients kept popping into my mind. I went home and typed the three ingredients into my Google search bar and a recipe for White bean soup popped up! Over the next few months, I developed my version of what I now call Tuscan White Bean Soup. It’s every bit as comforting on a brisk day as chili!

The Ingredients

Great Northern White Beans:

Also known as Navy Beans or White Beans, the Great Northern Beans are full of both protein and fiber, plus they have a number of minerals including folate and magnesium. I use the organic canned version but you can also purchase dried beans and soak them if you are on a budget. I’ve added a full can of beans to the recipe in order to blend it into the boullion mixture. This gives this soup a thick hearty texture while still making sure that there are plenty of whole beans left.

Because I’ve been “glutened” by veggie broth that was labeled gluten free, and because the grocery store version of veggie broth is anemic tasting with lack of flavor, I developed my own version of Vegan “Chicken” Bouillon . I make a double batch and always keep it on hand. If you have a favorite bouillon that works for you, by all means, use it.

Veggies:

Sliced carrots, onions, fennel and kale, added to the soup, give you plenty of veggies to help qualify Tuscan White Bean Soup as a one pot meal. No need for a side salad!

Fennel adds a lot of flavor and little bit of a french flair. It is bulb like with a feathery leaf top and can be described as cross between an onion and celery with a faint licorice flavor. If you can’t find fennel, celery is a good substitute. (Make sure you buy the Fennel Bulb and not the fennel seeds)

Kale not only adds color to the soup but it’s a vitamin laden powerhouse. This dark leafy winter veggie adds even more fiber to our soup, but also vitamin C, B6 and anti-oxidants, including powerful alpha lipoic acid.

Additional Flavor:

Fresh herbs, Rosemary and Thyme, and garlic, give an amazing flavor boost and smell! Your house will smell like a French bisto! I’ve also added a cup of White wine to give one more amazing flavor layer. I use Sutter Home Chardonay White Wine. I love the single serving containers that they come in. I don’t drink wine, so I hate opening an entire bottle to use just one cup, leaving the rest to go bad. This wine comes packaged in a four pack that allows you to use just one serving while the additional three servings stay fresh for another use. A lot of wines on the market contain bone char, which comes from animal bones, and is not Vegan! Sutter Home has several vegan friendly varieties, including the Chardonay.

The Process:

Slice the carrots into thin discs and dice the fennel and onion.
Add a small amount of water or oil to a large non stick pan, and cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent, occasionally giving a stir.
Chop the kale, removing and discarding the hard stems. Set the kale aside for later.

While the vegetable are softening, measure 6 Tablespoons of Vegan “Chicken” Bouillon mix along with 6 cups of water into a blender.
Drain and rinse one of the cans of Great Northern Beans and add it to the Blender with the Broth mixture. Blend together until the mixture is smooth.

Prepare the fresh herbs and measure the garlic
Stir the garlic, thyme, rosemary and thyme into the vegetable mixture and stir.
You can also choose to use fresh garlic. I like the jarred minced garlic because it saves time.

Drain and rinse the remaining three cans of beans.
Add the beans, vegetable mixture, the broth mixture, and the white wine to a large pot.
Stir. Continue heating until the mixture comes to a low boil.

Reduce the heat.
Stir in the four cups of reserved chopped kale.
Let the soup simmer until ready to serve!

Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with vegan Parmesan, like Follow your Heart brand.

Enjoy!

I like to serve Tuscan White bean Soup with a little bit of Vegan Parmesan from Follow Your Heart to emulate the traditional french soup Ribollita which uses the left over cheese rinds to add flavor to the broth. A crusty gluten free baguette, like Udis, slathered with vegan butter is the perfect accompaniment!

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