Butterbean Soup (small batch)

 

I saw this Butterbean Soup recipe on Pinterest the other day.  It did not have a recipe actually but was merely a list of ingredients. It looked delicious however and so I copied out the ingredients and decided that I could wing it and make it up myself.

My mother was the best soup maker on the planet. She was an expert at making soups.  Every time we had a roast dinner of any kind, we could be sure that a delicious pot of soup would follow it in short order.  Turkey, beef, ham, chicken.  She used the leftovers from all of these meals to make a hearty and delicious soup!  She never used a recipe. Never.

I learned how to make soup from watching her. I reckon I could make a soup from just about anything as well.  My children loved all of the soups I used to make for them when they were growing up. Well, my youngest daughter, she was not overly fond of soup, but the rest of them were.

Anyways, I had a tin of butterbeans in the cupboard that I wanted to use and decided to make a butterbean soup with it. I have baked butterbeans before with great success, but I was in a soup kind of mood. This was the tasty result!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BUTTERBEAN SOUP

Just a few simple ingredients. I know I say that all the time, but it's true.  I don't do complicated if I can help it.

• 1 TBS butter or olive oil
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 small onion
• 1 fat clove of garlic
• 1 small bay leaf, broken in half
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp sweet paprika
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 tin (140z/400g) butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup (240ml) vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup (120ml) water

WHAT ARE BUTTERBEANS

You might be a bit confused as to what Butterbeans are.  They are a flat oval, creamy colored bean that comes either dried or canned.  I used canned for this recipe. You can also buy the dried ones and cook them yourself.  You will need to soak them overnight in that case and then rinse, cover with cold water, bring to the boil and then simmer until tender. Don't add salt and this can toughen beans.

Cooked, butterbeans have a soft velvety texture that practically melts in your mouth. They also have a beautiful mild flavor which acts as a lovely canvas to layer on other flavors. They also have a slightly nutty and buttery flavor which is where they get their name "butterbeans" from.

They are high in fiber and loaded with nutrition as are most legumes. Filling and satisfying they are rich in vitamins and minerals. They are also low in both fat and calories.

If you cannot find tinned butterbeans for this recipe then feel free to substitute another bean in their place. Cannellini, Navy and Great Northern beans all work very well.

 

HOW TO MAKE BUTTERBEAN SOUP 

This is, as with most soups, very simple and easy to make. You really cannot go wrong!  If you have all of your vegetables prepared before you start, it goes together very quickly and easily.

Peel the carrot and cut into bite sized pieces. Chop the celery into 1/4-inch dice. Peel and chop the onion into 1/4-inch dice. Peel and mince the garlic. ( I had only some very tiny Nante carrots and so I used about 4 of those, which I peeled and cut into 1/3-inch-thick coins.)

 

Heat the oil or butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion becomes translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer.

Add the broken bay leaf, dried thyme, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper and paprika. Cook and stir to coat everything with the herbs.

 

Add the vegetable stock and water, along with the drained butterbeans. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a slow simmer.

Simmer partially covered over medium low heat for about 20 minutes until the flavors have melded well and the vegetables are all meltingly tender.

Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and black pepper.  Ladle into heated bowls and serve.

 

This was quite simply a lovely soup. It was hearty and delicious.  I didn't need to add much in the way of salt and pepper as my vegetable stock was already quite salty.

I enjoyed a lovely bowl of this along with a buttery cornmeal biscuit. This was a fabulous meal!

 

I love soup and I could eat it all year round.  Sometimes for a hearty lunch or sometimes for a light supper.  Most of the time I will make my own soup from scratch. I find tinned soups quite blah in comparison to homemade. Here are a few other favorites of mine that you might also enjoy!

STONE SOUP - Stone Soup was one of my children's favorite stories when they were growing up  and so this simple cabbage, tomato and rice soup became known as Stone Soup.  

It's a deliciously hearty testament to what can be done with a bit of this, a bit of that, and a whole lot of nothing!

LEMON & CHICKEN SOUP - This is a fabulously tasty chicken soup, with fresh flavors!  It uses chicken stock along with lemon juice. You might think the lemon would be overpowering, but it really isn't.  It adds a lovely layer of flavor that is quite pleasant! It is delicious and hearty.  You can make everything up to adding the pasta ahead of time but do wait until not too long before serving it to add your pasta.

Yield: 2 generous servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Butterbean Soup (small batch)

Cook time: 35 MinTotal time: 35 Min

This is a simple uncomplicated belly warming soup that is easy to make, hearty, and delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 TBS butter or olive oil
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 small onion
• 1 fat clove of garlic
• 1 small bay leaf, broken in half
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp sweet paprika
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 tin (140z/400g) butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup (240ml) vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup (120ml) water

Instructions

1. Peel the carrot and cut into bite sized pieces. Chop the celery into 1/4-inch dice. Peel and chop the onion into 1/4-inch dice. Peel and mince the garlic.
2. Heat the oil or butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion becomes translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer.
3. Add the broken bay leaf, dried thyme, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper and paprika. Cook and stir to coat everything with the herbs.
4. Add the vegetable stock and water, along with the drained butterbeans. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a slow simmer.
5. Simmer, partially covered over medium low heat for about 20 minutes until the flavors have melded well and the vegetables are all meltingly tender.
6. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and black pepper.
7. Ladle into heated bowls and serve.

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