Description
A simple and hearty Spanish-inspired bean soup featuring tender cannellini beans simmered with fresh herbs, garlic, and tomato passata, thickened with a blended portion of the soup and finished with a flavorful hazelnut and parsley picada. Perfect for a comforting, nutritious meal served with crusty bread.
Ingredients
Scale
Bean Soup:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 large brown onion (about 180g/6oz), finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp fresh thyme, chopped (or 1/8 tsp dried thyme)
- 1/4 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1/8 tsp dried rosemary)
- 1 fresh bay leaf (or 1/2 dried bay leaf)
- 1/3 cup tomato passata
- 4 x 400g cans cannellini beans, drained
- 3 cups vegetable stock (preferably homemade or low sodium store bought)
Picada:
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 medium garlic clove, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup whole hazelnuts, skin on (or almonds)
- 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)
Instructions
- Saute onion and herbs: Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, finely chopped onion, fresh thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring regularly, for 8 minutes until the onions turn deep golden brown and develop a sweet aroma.
- Cook tomato passata: Add the tomato passata to the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook for another 8 minutes until the tomato changes from red and watery to a dark brown, thickened sauce. This step is essential for building rich flavor.
- Simmer the soup: Stir in the drained cannellini beans followed by the vegetable stock. Adjust the heat so the soup bubbles very gently and let it simmer uncovered for 15 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
- Blend a portion of the soup: Transfer 2/3 cup (150ml) of the soup into a jug large enough to fit the head of an immersion blender. Blend until smooth, then stir the purée back into the soup. This thickens the broth and gives it a creamier texture.
- Prepare the picada: While the soup simmers, toast the hazelnuts in a small skillet over medium heat until golden and fragrant, shaking the pan regularly. Transfer to a clean tea towel and rub to remove most of the skin. Roughly chop the nuts. In a jug, combine the chopped nuts, fresh parsley, chopped garlic, olive oil, and kosher salt. Blitz with an immersion blender until it forms a pesto-like texture, not completely smooth.
- Finish the soup: Just before serving, stir 2 tablespoons of the picada into the soup. Taste and adjust salt if needed. Serve immediately with a teaspoon of remaining picada dolloped on each bowl. Crusty bread is highly recommended to complement the soup.
Notes
- You can use any white beans such as navy, lima, or butter beans instead of cannellini beans. Colored beans will work but will alter the soup color.
- The soup is even tastier if made with dried beans: soak 2 1/2 cups dried white beans for 5 to 24 hours, boil, then simmer until tender before adding to the soup.
- Using homemade vegetable stock greatly enhances the flavor, but low sodium store-bought stock works well too.
- If using table salt instead of kosher salt, reduce the amount by half as table salt is finer.
- The original El Bulli recipe includes clams added 5 minutes before the end of cooking; you can add them or mussels for a seafood version.
- Cooked soup keeps well for 4 days. Picada stirred into soup loses its green color but retains flavor; leftover fresh picada used as topping should be used within 2 days due to raw garlic.
- Serve with crusty artisan bread, no-yeast bread, or French brioche for best results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (about 350 ml)
- Calories: 270 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 420 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 9 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
