Last week, I knew I was going to be doing dinner on my own one evening, because Joey was going to be gone for a bowling tournament.
I immediately combed through my saved recipes on Pinterest, trying to decide what new recipe I’d try while he was away. I originally chose something I knew he wouldn’t like, but when I found myself finishing up at the office after 6 p.m., I decided I better switch gears if I wanted to eat before 8 p.m.
On a second glance of my “recipes to try” list, I found a quick and easy vegetarian soup that I knew would come together quickly and easily, and it did not disappoint.
This recipe comes from the blog “Budget Bytes.” You can find the original post at https://www.budgetbytes.com/easy-rosemary-garlic-white-bean-soup/. I added extra garlic and thyme in my version.
Rosemary Garlic White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
- 3 15- ounce cans cannellini beans
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pour one can of undrained beans into a blender or food processor and blend until they are smooth.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for about two minutes or until the garlic just starts to get some color.
- Drain the other two cans of beans, and add them along with the bean puree, broth, rosemary, thyme red pepper flakes and pepper to the pot.
- Stir well, and place the lid on the pot. Turn the heat to medium-high heat to bring the soup to a low boil.
- After the soup starts boiling, turn the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, uncovered, and stirring occasionally.
- Add more pepper and some salt, if desired, and serve with a thick slice of bread.
If your local grocery store doesn’t have cannellini beans on the shelf, you can easily substitute great northern beans instead.
The herbs in this recipe were a great combination with the beans and garlic. My only complaint about it was that it’s probably best as more of a side dish to a sandwich or as an appetizer than as a main dish on its own. It just wasn’t as filling as I hoped it would be. But it did reheat really well and was nice to eat along with a grilled cheese later on.
For once, Joey actually got to enjoy one of the recipes I tried while he was away, and he was happy that he came home to the lingering smell of garlic instead of broccoli, which is normally the case.
Next time he’s out for the evening, I’ll have to make sure to get my work done earlier so I can try something a little more interesting—and something that will ensure I get all the leftovers to myself.
This piece first appeared in print on Feb. 17, 2022.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
