My Plant-Based White Bean and Tomato Soup is my new favourite soup! It’s packed to the gunnels with onions, garlic, leeks, plum tomatoes, courgettes, celery, butter beans, cannellini beans, Bay leaf, spring greens, and is finished off with some freshly ground black pepper.
It’s packed with goodness and is super tasty, if you have a big bowl for lunch with some whole grain bread and one of my super salads you’ll be feeling full and satisfied all afternoon long, while supplying your body with lots of nutrients.
So, why are beans so good for you?
Don’t worry if you don’t have any cannellini beans to hand, they do taste wonderful and are lovely and creamy, but you can use great northern beans or at a push, navy beans, but beware as the skins are likely to peel off.
I’ve used butter beans and cannellini beans in this recipe as I love the creamy texture of them. Plus they’re brilliant for us!
They’re a great low fat source of protein, complex carbohydrates, dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals like iron, potassium and folate. And because they don’t come from animals, they have no cholesterol.
Studies have shown that people who eat at least half cup of pulses per day have higher intakes of fibre, protein, calcium, potassium, folate, zinc, iron, and magnesium as well as lower intakes of total and saturated fat.
Research has also shown that eating pulses can lower cholesterol and blood pressure, which are both risk factors for heart disease.
Beans can help to manage blood sugar levels and diabetes because they do not cause blood sugar levels to rise as much as sugary or starchy foods that are low in fibre.
For more information on why fibre is fantastic for us go here.
Aim to eat three servings of legumes each day. A serving is a half-cup/80g of cooked beans or ½ cup/80g low-fat bean spread for example.
Plant-Based White Bean and Tomato Soup
Equipment
- Large stock pot
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring jug
- Sharp paring knives
Ingredients
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 sticks of celery finely chopped
- 1 leek finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves crushed, then chopped
- 2 medium courgettes finely chopped
- 200 g spring greens washed and then shredded
- 400 g can butter beans in water drained
- 400 g can cannellini beans in water drained
- 800 g cans plum tomatoes
- 1 litre plant-based bouillon / stock
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add two inches of cold water to a large pot then add the onions, celery, courgettes, leeks, garlic and large Bay leaf. Put the lid on the pot then cook for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables start to soften.
- Add the drained white beans to the pot with the spring greens, plum tomatoes and bouillon/stock.
- Cook for a further 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. If it's too thick for you, just add some more boiling water to the pot.
- Add some freshly ground black pepper to taste then serve into warm soup bowls.
I’d love to hear from you… did you make it? What’s your favourite plant-based soup? Let me know in the comments section below.
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