I made this soup a couple of weeks ago on Shelter Island, but we left the camera there and I wasn’t able to download the photo until now. I love soups that are quick and easy to make, and flavorful and this one certainly fits the bill. I enjoy cooking on Shelter Island because I have an herb garden there, so it’s really easy to run outside and pick a bunch of herbs when I want to flavor a dish. The fresh sage in this soup, even though it was just one leaf, adds a nice touch of flavor that I don’t think you’ll get if you try to use dried sage in this recipe. This soup is great for a weeknight meal.
Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup
Recipe by Giada DeLaurentiis from Giada’s Kitchen, New Italian Favorites2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 sage leaf
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cloves garlic, cut in half
1/2 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepperPlace a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and shallot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sage and beans and stir to combine. Add the stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the garlic and simmer until the garlic is softened, about 10 minutes. Pour the soup into a large bowl. Carefully ladle 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful to hold the top of the blender tightly, as hot liquids expand when they are blended. Pour the blended soup back into the soup pan. Puree the remaining soup. Once all the soup is blended and back in the soup pan, add the cream and the pepper Keep warm, covered, over very low heat.
Yield: 4 – 6 servings
Print This Recipe
I have this cookbook and have made this soup multiple times – it’s SO GOOD. Yum.
This soup is incredible. Confession: Not wanting to waste any I scraped the blender clean with a piece of bread. SERIOUSLY good! Is the rest of the cookbook that awesome?
The rest of the cookbook is pretty good. I borrowed it from the library and made 5 or 6 recipes from it, then had to return it. I’ll definitely take it out again because there are more recipes that I’d like to try.
I made this tonight and it was delicious. Thank you for altering the recipe to include an extra can of beans (the reviews on foodnetwork said the recipe needed that). I also changed it up a little by adding a handful of kale and serving it with fresh parmesan. Outstanding. Next time I will double the recipe.
So, do cannellini beans have a decent protein content? I’m supposed to be making high protein soups but they’re hard to come by.