Greek White Bean Soup
My dad gave me “The Milk Street Cookbook” for Christmas and I’ve been cooking from it ever since! It’s a wonderful cookbook filled with simple flavorful recipes from around the globe. I made this Greek white bean soup the other night and it was so good, I just had to share the recipe with you. Using canned white beans speeds up the process so you’ll have a delicious dinner in 30 minutes.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, depending on how hot you want it
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 – 15 1/2 oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
- 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
- 2 oz feta cheese, crumbled
- Fresh black pepper
Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and salt and cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, measure out 1 1/2 cups of the beans into a medium bowl and mash into a paste with a fork or potato masher and set aside.
Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly for 30 seconds.
Add tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes.
Stir in the whole beans, the mashed beans and the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetable are tender.
Off the heat, stir in the vinegar, then vigorously whisk 3 tablespoons of olive oil in, this will add a nice richness to the soup.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with parsley, olives and feta and enjoy!
