Molly’s mother-in-law, Roxanne, ALWAYS has a pot of bean soup either on the stove simmering or in the freezer. Whenever she picks Molly and her family up at the airport, she brings a container of bean soup for them to eat on the way home.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 10 hr 45 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings, plus leftovers |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 10 hr 45 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings, plus leftovers |
Ingredients
- 1 cup (176 grams) dried cannellini beans
- 1 cup (176 grams) dried chickpeas
- 1 cup (180 grams) dried navy beans
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling if desired
- 2 large carrots (180 grams) chopped
- 2 stalks celery (85 grams) chopped
- 2 large leeks (350 grams) halved, white and light green parts sliced
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary needles, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 quarts cold water
- 3 fresh bay leaves
- 3 strips lemon peel, removed with a vegetable peeled from a lemon, plus juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 rind (50 grams) from a wedge of Parmesan cheese
- 6 cups (100 grams) shredded kale
- Flaky salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 slices challah (25 grams each)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 4 ounces (112 grams) Gruyère, shredded on the coarse holes of a box grater
- 1/4 cup (20 grams) grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- For the soup: In a large bowl, combine the cannellini beans, chickpeas and navy beans and add enough water to cover by several inches. Soak for 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Drain and rinse.
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the carrots, celery and leeks. Season with a couple good pinches of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are softened but not browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary, thyme and red pepper flakes and cook until sizzling and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the broth, water, drained beans, bay leaves, lemon peel and Parmesan cheese rind. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until all 3 beans are tender and the soup is slightly thickened, about 2 hours, or longer, if needed.
- Once the beans are tender, taste the broth and season with more salt, if needed. Add the kale and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes more. Remove and discard the bay leaves, lemon peel and what’s left of the Parmesan rind.
- Meanwhile, make the challah croutons.
- For the challah croutons: Arrange an oven rack in both the middle and upper positions. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the sliced challah to the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the oven on the middle rack until lightly toasted, flipping once, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with the melted butter and switch the oven to broil. In a small bowl, add the Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses and toss to combine. Cover the tops of the challah slices completely with cheese. Broil on the top rack until browned and bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes depending on the strength of your broiler.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, with a drizzle of olive oil if desired, some flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper. Top each serving with a challah crouton.
- Leftover soup will keep in the refrigerator for at least 3 to 4 days, though you may want to add a little water when reheating as it will thicken over time. It also freezes well for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 718 |
| Total Fat | 28 g |
| Saturated Fat | 10 g |
| Carbohydrates | 81 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 17 g |
| Sugar | 9 g |
| Protein | 40 g |
| Cholesterol | 52 mg |
| Sodium | 2143 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 718 |
| Total Fat | 28 g |
| Saturated Fat | 10 g |
| Carbohydrates | 81 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 17 g |
| Sugar | 9 g |
| Protein | 40 g |
| Cholesterol | 52 mg |
| Sodium | 2143 mg |
Reviews
Loved it! I used veggie broth and didn’t use the parm rind or rosemary. I will make this again for sure!
This is a very delicious and healthy soup! I didn’t add the greens to the whole pot. I used spinach and put it in the bowl so it would stay fresh for a couple of days. Soooooo yummy.
Such a warming and hearty soup. It’s a wonderful recipe to make if you’re trying for less meat in your diet. I feel like I’ve made something to improve my health with this one.
Just a comment to Foodnetwork. You are showing this recipe is rated with 3 1/2 stars. There is one review which has 5 stars.
Absolutely fabulous soup very fresh tasty, even added some rinsed black beans,fresh parsley, chives only because I had these on hand, love your recipes so much ,wish you were on TV so much more I’m hearing impaired so thank goodness I have caption control. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.