Friday, September 5, 2014

Five Bean Soup

Last fall, I started making Queen's Three Bean Soup, a recipe my mom created.  My daughters and husband loved it so much, I made this soup every couple of weeks throughout the fall and winter.  


I started to change up the tomatoes and beans, and soon, Queen's Three Bean Soup became a five bean soup recipe.



Last night, I added a parmesan rind to the soup as it cooked, and chopped spinach towards the end.


We all agreed that the soup was the best it has ever been.  


Garnished with a shaved Italian cheese blend of parmesan, romano and asiago, the soup was so delicious, and the leftovers were just as good today for lunch.  


Five Bean Soup

Ingredients

1 medium sweet onion -- diced
1 T olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
7 C gluten free chicken stock or broth
1 can cannellini beans - rinsed
1 can Great Northern beans - rinsed
1 can pinto beans - rinsed
1 can dark red kidney beans - rinsed
1 can black beans - rinsed
1 carton San Marzano crushed or diced tomatoes (26.46 oz/750g) 
Parmesan rind
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp thyme
3/4 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
12 oz (4 cups) uncooked fusilli, rotini, or other gluten free pasta
5 oz baby spinach - chopped
Grated or shaved parmesan, romano, or asiago - to taste

Directions

Saute the onion in olive oil, in a large soup pot over medium heat, until it begins to soften.  Add the garlic, stirring constantly for a minute or two until it begins to brown, then add the chicken stock, beans, tomatoes, parmesan rind, salt, thyme, oregano, basil, and pepper.  Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then turn the burner to low, and put a lid on the pot.  Simmer for 20 minutes. 

While the soup is simmering, cook your pasta according to package directions.  

Before serving, remove the parmesan rind, and add the spinach & pasta to the soup.  Continue to cook the soup for a couple of minutes, until the spinach has begun to wilt.  Garnish each bowl with grated or shaved cheese.  

Serves 8

Recipe Notes

Yesterday, I started making this soup right after lunch.  After it simmered for 20 minutes, I turned the heat off, and allowed it to sit on my stove, covered, until I was ready to cook dinner.  My mom uses this technique, because she feels the soup is more flavorful.  If you have the time, I suggest making the soup a couple of hours before you are going to serve it, then reheat it, and add the spinach and pasta to the soup.  Dinner preparation was so much more relaxed, because most of the work was already done before I picked up my kids from school.  


After reading some scary things about canned tomatoes and how their acidity can cause BPA to leach into your food, I have been buying San Marzano tomatoes in a carton from Whole Foods.  I have also used a bag and a half (15 oz) of fresh San Marzano tomatoes (diced) in this recipe.  

You could drizzle your soup with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil before serving.  A really flavorful oil works best.  

I use 4 cups of BiAglut gluten free fusilli or a 12 oz box of Barilla gluten free rotini in this recipe.  

Linked to:  Gluten-Free WednesdaysGluten-Free & DIY Tuesday, Gluten Free Fridays


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