Name: Italian bean soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 65 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Ingredients: 3 Tbsp olive oil; 1 carrot, chopped; 1 celery stick; 1 onion; ½ leek; 400g borlotti beans; 1 handful parsley; 1½ litre vegetable stock; 3 small tomatoes on the vine; 1 sprig thyme; 1 clove of garlic, pressed; 1 handful of celery leaves

Italian bean soup

25 Sep 2015

by Dinna

Prep Time

5 minutes

Cook Time

65 minutes

Total Time

1 hour, 10 minutes

Background

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

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stick
1 onion
½ leek
400g borlotti beans
1 handful parsley
1½ litre vegetable stock
3 small tomatoes on the vine
1 sprig thyme
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1 handful of celery leaves

Instructions

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.