Hearty Bean Soup

Classic bean soup recipe. Can be made Italian by adding 3 tablespoons pesto and 1 cup cooked pasta to the finished soup. Can be made Mexican by using black beans, adding 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 2 teaspoons cumin when tomato paste is added. Can be made chunky by adding diced carrot, potato and shredded cabbage to the veggie list.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 45 mins
• Total Time: 2 hr 5 mins
• Calories: 217 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 cups water
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) package dried navy beans
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
• 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Pour water over navy beans in a large container to cover by several inches; soak 8 hours to overnight.

Step 2

Combine soaked beans, chicken broth, water, onion, celery, garlic, and bay leaf in a large pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until beans are almost tender, about 1 hour.

Step 3

Stir tomato paste and sea salt into bean mixture; simmer soup another 45 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Step 4

Ladle about half the soup into a large bowl; pour soup into a blender, working in batches, filling blender no more than half full. Hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend until smooth. Pour pureed soup into pot with unblended soup; stir in parsley and adjust salt and pepper to taste.