Many of our bean recipes to date have been spicy southwestern or Mexican concoctions. We love those dishes, but sometimes we need something along other lines to keep our interest up. Here's a great Italian soup that starts with dry beans and adds vegetables to make a savory, pleasant soup that's sure to please.
- 1 cup dry cannellini beans
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 slices slab bacon or pancetta ham
- 1 28-ounce can crushed Italian-style tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 cup shredded green cabbage
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
Pick over the beans, removing any stones and other foreign material. Soak the beans overnight in enough water to cover them plus 2 inches.
Rinse beans and place in large, heavy saucepan with the garlic cloves, bay leaf, pancetta or bacon, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook at a simmer for about an hour or until the beans are tender, adding more water as needed. Remove the bay leaf and let the beans cool. Puree the beans in a food processor. Add the tomatoes.
In another skillet, heat the oil. Allow the carrots, celery, cabbage, and celery to sweat for about 15 minutes. Add the vegetables to the bean mixture and heat through. Just before serving stir in the spinach and season with salt and pepper.
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