Italian Mixed Bean Soup Recipes

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 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.

MIXED BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Rinse and sort beans. Place beans in a Dutch oven or soup kettle; add water to cover by 2 in. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 1 to 4 hours or until beans are softened., Drain and rinse, discarding liquid. Add water to the beans; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until beans are tender. Discard bay leaves.

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.

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.

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.

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.

HEARTY ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage, onion, and garlic in the hot skillet until sausage is browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease.
• Add broth, black beans, butter beans, diced tomatoes, basil, and oregano; bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for at least 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese.

ITALIAN STYLE BEAN SOUP MIX

Steps:

• To made the mix: layer the beans in a 1 quart jar with tight-fitting lid.
• Combine the onion, basil, bouillon cubes, parsley, garlic and pepper in a small food storage bag; close bag.
• Place the seasoning bag over the beans, spreading out bag to cover beans; add pasta shells.
• Close jar, cover top of jar with fabric; attach gift tag with raffia or ribbon.
• Attached directions to preparing soup to jar.
• Soup:.
• Remove the pasta and seasoning packet from jar; set aside.
• Place the beans in a large bowl; cover with water and soak for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
• Drain beans; discarding the water.
• Combine the soaked beans, water, pasta sauce and contents of seasoning packet in Dutch oven.
• Bring to a boil over high heat; cover, reduce heat and simmer 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.
• Add the pasta and spinach; cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until pasta is tender.
• Season to taste, serve with grated Parmesan cheese.