White Bean Soup with Rosemary

Yield: 4-6 servings

This creamy soup relies on pureeing cannellini beans for its velvety texture – not heavy cream. If you use dried beans, measure 1.5 cups beans, soak them in plenty of water for about 3 hours, rinse, drain, and then simmer the soup in Step 4 for about 90 minutes, or until the beans are tender.  If you don’t have a rind of Parmesan cheese, then use grated Parmesan to garnish the soup, along with fresh chopped parsley.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, small dice
• 1 carrot, small dice
• 1 celery stalk, small dice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 4.5 cups canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• about 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 rind Parmesan cheese
• chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Procedure:

1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onions, carrots, and celery in the olive oil until soft.
2. Add the garlic and rosemary and continue to sauté for 3 minutes.
3. Add the beans, the Parmesan rind, and just enough stock to cover the beans. Bring the soup to boil.
4. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Use a blender stick to partially puree the mixture. Or, let the soup cool slightly, remove about 1/3 of the mixture from the pot, blend it in the blender, and then return it to the pot. In either case, add additional stock if the soup is too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish soup with chopped fresh parsley (and/or grated Parmesan cheese).

Source: one of the best ~ my friend Caroline!