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closeup photo of Tuscan white bean soup with tomatoes

Tuscan White Bean and Tomato Soup

Dawn Dobie
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb. dried Great Northern or Cannellini beans
  • 6 cups chicken stock preferably homemade or low-sodium
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¾ pound yellow onions peeled and quartered vertically then thinly sliced
  • 4 medium celery stalks thinly sliced
  • 3 medium carrots peeled and thinly sliced
  • ½ pound smoked ham coarsely diced
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 pounds about 6 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped OR 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 fresh lemon cut in wedges
  • extra virgin olive oil for drizzling (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Pick over beans to remove rocks, debris, etc. Soak in cold water to cover by 2 inches overnight in a large bowl.
  • Drain water from beans. Add drained beans, chicken stock, and bay leaves to large pot. Bring to boil, then lower heat to simmer and cook until tender, about 1-2 hours. (Or cook in slow cooker on high for 6 hours or until tender.)
  • Once the beans are cooked, begin to cook the vegetables. Heat oil in separate large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and ½ teaspoon salt, and sauté for about 5 minutes.
  • Add the celery and carrots, and continue cooking, stirring often, until softened and just beginning to color, about 5 minutes more.
  • Add ham and sugar and stir for about 4 minutes.
  • Add garlic and stir one additional minute.
  • Stir in tomatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.
  • Add beans with their cooking liquid to the vegetable mixture and cook until thick, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.
  • Remove bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Offer lemon wedges with each bowl to squeeze in before eating. If desired, drizzle each bowl with a bit of extra virgin olive oil before serving.

Notes

Can serve soup at room temperature or warm. If serving during summer months, let soup stand at room temperature several hours before serving.
This soup is better if made one or two days in advance. Cool, cover, and refrigerate, then rewarm.
Instead of using dried beans, you can used 3 15-ounce cans of cooked white beans (rinsed and drained) as a timesaver. Add the drained beans to the vegetable mixture, then add 4-6 cups of chicken broth to reach the consistency you want.
Adapted from a recipe in Bon Appétit