This hearty Tuscan Bean Soup is so warming and nourishing. It's sure to cure whatever ails you! Serve with your favorite crusty bread.
My husband and I have been taking turns getting sick with the flu over the last few weeks. I don't know about you, but the first thing I feel like is a big bowl of nourishing soup.
The more vegetables packed in the better. Somehow it feels the more vegetables I pack into a soup, the faster I will recover.
This Tuscan Bean soup fits the bill perfectly. Even though the last thing you might feel like doing when you're sick is cooking, I find the whole process of chopping and stirring a big pot of soup deeply soothing. And I'm sure the steam coming off the pot helps too!
The antioxidant-packed Tuscan green, cavolo nero, boosts the soup with it's slightly bitter flavour contrasting the lightly tart and sweet tomato base.
I love cavolo nero. It's a form of cabbage that doesn't form a head but grows lovely long palm like leaves on a trunk. The stalks are quite hardy, whereas the leaves are tender, so it's important to trim the stalks and cook those first, only adding the leaves in the last few minutes of cooking so that they retain their green goodness.
Cavolo nero is sold under a few names, depending on where you are in the world. It might also be called Tuscan cabbage, black cabbage, black kale, lacinato kale or, my favourite, the somewhat prehistoric sounding dinosaur kale.
If you can't get hold of cavolo nero try silverbeet, chard or kale as they will work just as well.
So tell me, what foods do you turn to when you are sick?
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📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 shallot, peeled and diced
- 1 leek, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- teaspoon ½ of salt
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely
- 3 celery stalks, halved and chopped
- 2 carrots, quartered, peeled and chopped
- 1 zucchini, quartered and chopped
- 400 g tin Italian diced tomatoes, 14 oz
- bunch cavolo nero, stems removed and chopped, around 350g
- 400 g tin cannellini beans, drained, 14 oz
- 400 g tin butter beans, drained, 14 oz
- cup ½ of fresh basil, chopped
- cup ½ of fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 litres vegetable stock
Instructions
- Heat a large soup pot over a medium low heat and add the olive oil, leek, shallot, garlic, celery, salt, carrots and zucchini and cook slowly for 15 to 20 minutes so that the vegetables sweat out their flavours and don't brown.
- Stir the tinned tomatoes into the vegetables and cook for a few minutes.
- Add the cavolo nero stalks,, butter beans and cannellini beans, half the basil and parsley and stir through the mixture (I like to squash some of the beans into the mix at this point to release their flavour and help thicken the soup) and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the vegetable stock and bring the soup to the boil before lowering to a simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Just before serving add the cavolo nero leaves and remaining basil and parsley.
- Serve with your favourite crusty bread.
Rosa says
A wonderful bean soup! So comforting and very flavourful.Cheers,Rosa
Amy says
Soup is the best healing food around. I always crave my Mum's pumpkin soup when I am under the weather, and I don't really mind the peeling and chopping. It's somewhat soothing when you have some music playing in the background and you can just lie back and listen to the bubbling soup while it cooks. This looks like the perfect warm up for our winter nights. I can't wait to try it!
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Ahh yes, Mum's soup is always best when you are sick. I think it's the extra love added 😉
ATasteOfMadness says
It has been almost too hot here to make soup, but now it started raining!! This soup would be perfect to come home to.
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Yes, you can't beat a steaming bowl of soup when it's raining 😀
Penny says
Delicious! I made this on Friday, and it is such a great way to clean out the fridge. Tasted even better reheated!
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Thanks Penny! 🙂 You're right, it is definitely a fantastic soup to make to clean out the fridge!
Di@Bibbyskitchen says
One could just feel better looking at this bowl. Love these rustic flavours and your delicious recipe.