White beans, tomato and rosemary soup

Luscious white bean soup with tomatoes and rosemary makes a delicious and comforting winter soup

White beans, tomato and rosemary soup

What makes almost all Italian dishes so delicious are two simple things: first, fresh seasonal and good-quality ingredients. Second, the use of very few ingredients so that each ingredient has a chance to participate in the luscious flavor of the dish and white beans, tomato and rosemary soup is a perfect example of this. When in season I use fresh white beans, otherwise I use white beans that have been soaked in cold water overnight. The only other ingredients to accompany the beans and water are a hint of fresh rosemary, some fresh or canned peeled tomatoes, olive oil and salt. If you like extra flair in your soup, as my husband always does, you can add a hint of crushed hot red pepper.

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 275kcal

Author Wendy

Equipment

Herb stripper
Potato masher
pressure cooker

Ingredients

½ kg white beans
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 medium tomatoes roughly chopped
1 medium white onion minced
3 medium sprigs of fresh rosemary the leaves strip from the stem using an herb stripper, or by hand
1 ¼ L water
Salt to taste about 2 teaspoons
½ teaspoon crushed hot red pepper optional

Metric - U.S. Customary

Instructions

Soak the dried white beans in cold water overnight.
Strip the rosemary leaves from the stem. I use an herb stripper which renders this task simple, efficient and rapid.
Place the minced onion and olive oil in the pressure cooker and sauté over a low flame until translucent.
Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for several minutes over a gentle flame until the tomatoes are tender.
Use a potato masher to crush the sauce.
Add the rosemary, white beans, salt, and water.
Seal and close the pressure cooker.
Cook the white bean soup over a medium to high flame until the pressure cooker is fully pressurized.
Lower the flame to medium and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
Turn off the flame and allow the pressure cooker to depressurize gently.
Every pressure cooker is different. I've had mine for well over a decade. Now there are amazing pressure cookers on the market that I've had the opportunity to cook with that cook more rapidly. As each pressure cooker is slightly different, be sure to check your beans for tenderness after the 10 minute cooking time. Cook for several more minutes if necessary. Don't make the mistake of overcooking the beans or you'll end up with a mushy soup that has little to no texture. If that happens, don't despair! Simply use an immersion blender to turn the soup into a delicious creamy bean soup.
Serve the white beans, tomato and rosemary soup with country bread and a green salad. For a nice presentation check out these hand-painted ceramic soup serving dishes .

Nutrition