Italian bean soup
Bean soup is a widely popular dish in Italy, every province has its own, distinctive version. This Italian bean soup is a simple, basic and healthy recipe – you can add pancetta or chilli to it if you like. It takes an hour to cook using raw beans, but if you’re short of time, just use a tin of cooked beans and simmer it for just 20 minutes. Serve it with crusty bread or toast.
Ingredients
Method
- Soak the beans overnight in plenty of water, then drain.
- Coarsely chop the onion, carrot, celery, leek and tomatoes.
- Finely chop the parsley.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then sauté the onion, carrot, celery and leek. Add the beans and thyme, stir for a few second.
- Pour in the stock, add the garlic, tomatoes and thyme. Bring to the boil, then put the lid on, and simmer at low temperature for about an hour.
- When the beans are tender and the soup is thick, turn off the heat. Stir in the chopped parsley.
- Serve warm, sprinkled with some celery leaves.