Italian Bean Soup Recipes

ITALIAN MIXED BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Pick through the dried beans and discard any shrivled or broken beans. Also watch out for tiny stones. You can use any mix of beans you like but my mix tends to inclue equal parts navy beans, pinto beans, and kidney beans.
• Put the beans in a large pot and add water enough to cover the beans by a good 3 inches. Cover and let soak for at least 8 hours or overnight. (alternately you can put the beans in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, cover and remove from heat, let stand for an hour. It yields a differnt texture but still yummy).
• Drain beans.
• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions and garlic until the onion becomes translucent or about 3 minutes. Add the celery and carrots, saute another 2-3 minutes.
• Add the 8 cups of water, bouillon cubes and beans. Bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat to simmer. Simmer for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
• Add lentils, tomatoes, spinach, ground red pepper, oregano, and basil. Cover and simmer 20 minutes more.
• Both beans and lentils should be soft at this point. If they are not let them simmer longer.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.

ITALIAN BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Rinse dry beans.
• In a Dutch oven combine rinsed beans and 5 cups cold water.
• Bring to boiling; reduce heat.
• Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Remove from heat.
• Cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans.
• In a slow cooker combine beans, 4 cups water, onion, tomatoes, bouillon, garlic, the 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, and pepper.
• Cook, covered, on high or 5-6 hours until beans are tender.
• Thaw green beans and stir into soup.
• Cook about 30 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, stir together margarine,garlic powder, Parmesan, and 1/8 teaspoon Italian seasoning.
• Spread on 1 side of each bread slice.
• Broil 4 to 5 inches from oven broiler for.
• 45 to 60 seconds or until crisp and light brown.
• Watch carefully.
• To serve, ladle soup into bowls.
• Float 2 pieces of herb toast atop each bowl of soup.
• Serve immediately with extra Parmesan.
• You can also add chopped ham, Italian sausage that you brown first, or leftover beef roast.

ITALIAN VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• Gently cook the onion, carrots and celery in the oil in a large saucepan for 20 mins, until soft. Splash in water if they stick. Add the sugar, garlic, purée, herbs and courgettes and cook for 4-5 mins on a medium heat until they brown a little.
• Pour in the beans, tomatoes and stock, then simmer for 20 mins. If you're freezing it, cool and do so now (freeze for up to three months). If not, add half the Parmesan and the pasta and simmer for 6-8 mins until pasta cooked. Sprinkle with basil and remaining Parmesan to serve. If frozen, defrost then re-heat before adding pasta and cheese and continuing as above.

BASIC ITALIAN BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onion in hot oil until tender, about 5 minutes; add garlic and continue cooking until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more.
• Pour tomato sauce into the pot; stir. Add cannelini beans, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the beans are hot, 5 to 7 minutes more.

ITALIAN BEAN SOUP WITH GREENS

Steps:

• In 5-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion, celery and garlic; cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is tender.
• Stir in beans, tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, pepper and broth. Cover; simmer 30 to 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• Increase heat to medium; stir in spinach. Cover; cook 3 to 5 minutes longer or until spinach is wilted. Ladle soup into bowls; top each with cheese.

HEARTY ITALIAN WHITE BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add potato and carrots; cook and stir 3 minutes. Add onion, celery, zucchini and jalapeno; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender., Stir in remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 12-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Freeze option: Freeze cooled soup in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally; add a little broth or water if necessary.

ITALIAN BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, saute the onion, potato and celery in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, beans, tomatoes, parsley and pesto. Bring to a boil. Stir in pasta. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until pasta is tender, 10-15 minutes. , Add spinach and cook just until wilted. Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

CREAMY ITALIAN WHITE BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, heat oil. Cook onion and celery in oil for 5 to 8 minutes, or until tender. Add garlic, and cook for 30 seconds, continually stirring. Stir in beans, chicken broth, pepper, thyme and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and then simmer for 15 minutes.
• With slotted spoon, remove 2 cups of the bean and vegetable mixture from soup and set aside.
• In blender at low speed, blend remaining soup in small batches until smooth, (it helps to remove the center piece of the blender lid to allow steam to escape.) Once blended pour soup back into stock pot and stir in reserved beans.
• Bring to a boil, occasionally stirring. Stir in spinach and cook 1 minute or until spinach is wilted. Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat and serve with fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top.

RECIPE FOR CANNELLINI BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In a large sauce pan saute the onions with 3 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat until translucent.
• Add in crushed garlic and saute for 3 minutes.
• Add cannellini beans and broth.
• Cook until all beans are tender - mash down some of the beans to add some creaminess to the soup.
• Add greens and cook down for about 15 minutes.
• Add in 1/4 cup dry white wine and half the cheese. Stir.
• Cook another 10 minutes.
• Serve in bowls and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

ITALIAN WHITE BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Rinse and pick the beans then cover them with water and soak for 6 hours or overnight. Drain.
• In a large heavy bottom pot heat up a good lug of olive oil and saute the leek (or onion) with the carrot and celery until they begin to soften.
• Quickly stir in the chopped garlic and cook for a few seconds just until fragrant then add the soaked beans.
• Pour in the water and bring to a constant simmer. Add the bay, sage and rosemary, cover with a lid and cook for 45 minutes or until the beans are soft and tender to your liking.
• Check the beans half way through cooking and see if you might need to add extra water if they are absorbing lots of liquid.
• Once your beans are perfectly cooked remove from heat, stir in the nutritional yeast and season to taste with the smoked sea salt.
• Meanwhile grill the bread on both sides until nice dark char marks form. Rub each slice on both sides with a garlic clove, lightly brush with some olive oil and finish with sea salt.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and tear chunks of the garlic bruschetta over the top. Finish with a light drizzle of olive oil on top and enjoy.

MY FAVOURITE RIBOLLITA (LA MIA RIBOLLITA PREFERITA)

Steps:

• Add your fresh or dried and soaked beans to a pan of water with the bay leaf - this will help to flavour the beans and soften their skins. Squash the tomato, peel the potato and add both to the pan. Cook until the beans are tender - taste one to check they're nice and soft. Dried beans can take up to an hour, but check fresh ones after 25 minutes. Drain (reserving about half a glass of the cooking water), and discard the bay leaf, tomato and potato.
• Peel and finely chop your onions, carrots and garlic. Trim and finely chop the celery.
• Heat a saucepan with a splash of olive oil and add the vegetables to the pan with the ground fennel seeds and chilli. Sweat very slowly on a low heat with the lid just ajar for around 15 to 20 minutes until soft, but not brown.
• Add the tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer for a few minutes.
• Add the cooked and drained beans with a little of the water they were cooked in, and bring back to the boil.
• Finely slice the cavolo nero (stalks and all) and add to the pan - it will look like loads, but don't worry as it will cook down.
• Tear the bread into chunks, then moisten with a little of the cooking water and stir it in too. The soup should be thick but not dry, so add a little more cooking water if you need to loosen it. Continue cooking for about 30 minutes - you want to achieve a silky, thick soup.
• Season the ribollita with sea salt and black pepper, and stir in 4 good lugs of good-quality Tuscan extra virgin olive oil before serving to give it a glossy velvety texture.
• Delicious served on a cold winter's day with lots and lots of Chianti!

STOVETOP ITALIAN BEAN SOUP - A CREAMY ITALIAN SAUSAGE SOUP RECIPE

Steps:

• Brown Italian Sausage; remove from pan and set aside.
• In a large saucepan, melt butter.
• Add diced onions and minced garlic, cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until onion is tender.
• Stir in flour.
• Slowly add evaporated milk and chicken broth, stirring occasionally until the mixture comes to a boil.
• Add tomatoes (undrained), cooked sausage and kidney beans.
• Heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

ITALIAN BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Brown sausage and onion in a large pot until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
• Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until carrot is tender and flavors have blended.
• Discard bay leaf and serve.
• Garnish with parmesan cheese and parsley if desired.

20 AUTHENTIC ITALIAN SOUPS

Steps:

• Select your favorite recipe.
• Organize all the required ingredients.
• Prep a delicious soup in 30 minutes or less!

TUSCAN BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• For the beans, Cut the pancetta into 1 inch thick slices, 2 inches long.
• In a large stock pot, cook the pancetta over medium heat until golden brown in color, then add the quartered onion, whole garlic cloves, and cook a couple of minutes in the oil rendered from the pancetta.
• Add the beans (drained), bay leaf, and 12 cups of water to the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook for about an hour and a half, or until the beans are almost tender.
• Remove from the heat, cover and let site 30 minutes.
• Drain the beans reserving the cooking water, and remove the bay leaf, onion, and garlic cloves.
• For the soup, heat the oil in the stock pot, and once hot add the onions, celery and carrots and cook until the onions are soft and translucent.
• Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, then add the cooked beans, rosemary sprig, and 5 cups of the cooking liquid.
• Cook on low for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove the rosemary sprig and discard.
• Remove 1/3 of the bean mixture and pulse in a food processor until creamy.
• Alternately, you could use a wand blender and blend part of the beans.
• Return the pureed beans to the pot, and mix.
• Serve the soup in bowls, with a drizzle of the extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkling of cracked black pepper on each.
• Sprinkle a little fresh herbs just before serving.