White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup

Sharon123's Note:

Roasted garlic adds a mellow smokiness to this hearty pureed soup. From Country Living magazine.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped (reserve leaves for garnish, if desired)
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 3 cups water
• 2 (19 ounce) cans white kidney beans, drained and rinsed (cannellini)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaf, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• carrot, thin strips (optional)
• celery leaves (optional)
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

1. Heat toaster oven or oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Tightly wrap garlic cloves in aluminum foil.
3. Place on top shelf of oven and roast 30 to 35 minutes or until very tender.
4. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
5. Meanwhile, in 4-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.
6. Add onion, celery, and carrots; saute 8 to 10 minutes or until softened.
7. Add water, beans, bay leaf, rosemary, and pepper.
8. Heat to boiling over high heat.
9. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
10. Break open skin of garlic cloves and squeeze softened garlic into soup mixture.
11. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
12. Remove and discard bay leaf.
13. In blender, puree soup mixture in several batches.
14. Return puree to saucepan and reheat briefly.
15. Salt and pepper to taste.
16. To serve, divide soup among serving bowls and garnish each with some carrot strips and a celery leaf, if desired.
17. Enjoy!

Reviews

[Shellbelle]

Yum! This is a delicious recipe! A good hearty soup with wonderful flavor from the garlic. I added some bacon bits for even more smokey flavor. Excellent comfort food on a cold night. Thanks for the recipe!

[Dienia B.]

this is a very good soup its warm and full of flavor i used navy beans and 1 /2 tablespoon of oil , doc says for me, this is a soup you should try it bumps up canned beans to something special

[Chef Cristoforo]

This soup is fantastic! I added a bit more garlic, a half-teaspoon of allspice, a half-teaspoon of paprika, and either some chopped crispy bacon or Canadian bacon. I also used my immersion blender. It would go great with some homemade garlic croutons. Thank you for sharing this!