Hearty White Bean Soup

Continuing with the idea of a healthy 2012, here's a scrumptious soup that is hearty and flavourful!

We absolutely LOVE soups! You may be able to tell from the number of soup recipes stored on this blog :)

Soups are a great way to pack in nutrients, use up rotting old vegetables you may have in your fridge, and warm you up! They can also be a snap to prepare, like this one!

The inspiration for this soup came from here. I didn't have all of the required ingredients and also wanted to serve more so I just adjusted a few things to my liking and ingredient availability.

White Bean Soup
serves 4

2 (540mL/19oz) cans White Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

3/4 cup celery, chopped

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp smoky paprika

2 yellow flesh potatoes, baked and chopped (skin on)

season to taste with salt

Directions
In a soup pot, drizzle in olive oil. Add onion, garlic, and celery - cook until translucent or slightly browned. Add the pepper and spices. While this takes place, bake the skin-on potatoes in microwave for 5-7 minutes or bake in the oven beforehand at 375 degrees for one hour (or until soft). Add 3/4 of the beans, the potatoes, and stock. Bring to a boil then turn the heat on low and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and puree the soup until it is more or less smooth. Add the rest of the beans (this gives some textural contrast). Put back on the burner and warm through. Serve and enjoy.