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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.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Resting Time 4 hours
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 1234
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

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

Method
 

  1. Soak the beans overnight in plenty of water, then drain.
  2. Coarsely chop the onion, carrot, celery, leek and tomatoes.
  3. Finely chop the parsley.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. When the beans are tender and the soup is thick, turn off the heat. Stir in the chopped parsley.
  7. Serve warm, sprinkled with some celery leaves.