Hearty Tomato and Bean Soup
Hearty vegetables and fire roasted diced tomatoes combine with two types of beans to make a filling Autumn soup.
Hearty Tomato and Bean Soup is synonymous with cooler temps. Unless it’s a cold summer soup I rarely make them in the spring or summer. I love them in the fall and winter. Not only are they really very easy, but they are usually really healthy and filling. Soups can be made ahead, frozen for later or eaten right on the spot. I combined canned Cannellini and Kidney beans with fire roasted diced tomatoes. Using canned beans saves so much time and makes this a meal you could make easily during the week with leftovers for lunches.
Instead of using bacon or pancetta to flavor this, I combine three anchovy fillets with a Parmesan rind (you should be saving those rinds in the freezer, more on that here) to add the perfect flavor. And before you throw your nose into the air at the anchovies, I promise it will add an incredible flavor that you won’t be able to place and NO ONE will ever know it was in their bowl. My husband asked me several times if there was meat in the soup because the flavor tastes like there is. I use an immersion blender (my favorite is this one) to blend half the soup to make it a little more creamy. You can always skip this step or use a regular blender to blend half of it. Don’t blend all of it though. It’s nice to have the chunks of fresh vegetable and tomato in each spoonful.
Soups are made for dutch ovens. The large pot size, and enameled cast iron helps them to keep a low and slow steady heat. You can brown your meat and veggies to create a great fond, simmer your soup and pop it in the oven. I HIGHLY recommend them.
Here are two great ones that I know and love:
The Le Creuset Wide Dutch Oven is perfect for batches of soups and stews. It is an investment, but will last a lifetime, and then some.
I totally get not wanting to, or being able to, break the bank. I have also used and loved the Tramontina 6.5QT dutch ovens that are available at Sam’s, they come in a variety of colors. I have teal. These make great affordable gifts too.
There are some affiliate links above, but these are all products I highly recommend. I won’t put anything on this page that I haven’t verified and/or personally used.
Hearty Tomato & Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 russet potato washed and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 anchovy fillets, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 qt chicken stock
- 2 C water
- 1 parmesan rind
- 1 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 15.5 oz can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15.5 oz can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add in the onion, celery, carrots, and potato. Allow this cook for about five minutes.
- Add in the garlic and anchovies and let it cook until fragrant about one minute.
- Toss in the salt, pepper, oregano, bay leaves, Parmesan rind, tomatoes and their juices, chicken stock and water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 20 minutes
- Remove the lid, add in the beans recover with the lid and cook an additional 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Remove the bay leaves and the Parmesan rind.
- Using an immersion blender, blend about half of the soup to make it creamy. You can skip this step too, it's not necessary but adds a wonderful texture.
