Florentine White Bean Soup
Ahhh Firenze! Who doesn’t love Florence, Italy and all of the beauty it offers us? I was sitting on my couch about a year ago looking at a photo of the Ponte Vecchio (the old bridge in Florence) and started thinking about my time spent attending school in Florence. During that period of time, I tasted some amazing foods – especially at a restaurant called Leo’s. One soup in particular really stuck with me – a white bean, carrot and spinach soup. It was just simply yummy!
I decided to Google those ingredients but never found exactly what I was looking for. Then one day I came across the William Sonoma Soups book and there it was! It had the look, colors and ingredients I had been searching for – I could actually taste the soup from so long ago while staring at the photo on the page.
I loved how quick and easy this recipe seemed and I actually had almost all of the ingredients already in my house. Well, there are random ingredients I don’t like very much, such as parsley, so I tend to omit those and just add the ones I love =)
Here is my version of William Sonoma’s Florentine White Bean Soup! I hope it transports you to the beautiful city of Firenze.
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 large carrots, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 Tbs. tomato paste
- 4 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
- 2 cans (each 14½ oz.) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups finely chopped baby spinach
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- ½ cup Parmigiana Reggiano
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. When it is hot, add the onion and carrots and sauté until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and oregano and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste, mixing well, about 1 minute.
- Add the broth and beans.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the spinach and cook until it is wilted and the flavors have blended, about 10 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and sprinkle with the Parmigiana Reggiano and serve immediately.
This is probably the BEST soup I have ever tasted!! Thanks, Nicole!!
I hope you made some this weekend!
Delicious, Nicole! I made this dish for dinner last week. My husband, who loves to have meat for dinner, could not get enough. He had several helpings and raved about it. My 2 year old daughter, who tends to be a picky eater, devoured it! Can’t wait to see what you’ll post next!
Aiden loves it! And so does his mom!