Lemony White Bean Soup
Creamy without a drop of cream: soft onions and garlic, canned white beans, a handful mashed to thicken the pot, then greens and a big squeeze of lemon to wake it all up. A pantry dinner for a grey night.
Jump to recipe ↓
February is long, and this is the pot I lean on to get through it — almost entirely from cans and a wilting bag of greens, ready before I’ve properly taken my coat off. It tastes like it simmered all day, which is a small, honest kind of magic.
The lemon at the end is not optional. Bean soup can be a little flat and one-note; that squeeze of acid right before serving lifts everything and makes the whole bowl taste brighter and more alive. Don’t skip it, and don’t add it early.
Watch me make it
The Recipe
Lemony White Bean Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Warm the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook until soft and translucent, about 6 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and rosemary and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the beans, stock, and Parmesan rind. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
- Scoop out about a cup of beans, mash them to a paste, and stir them back in to thicken the broth (or blitz a ladleful with an immersion blender).
- Stir in the greens and cook until just wilted, 2–3 minutes. Off the heat, add the lemon zest and juice, then season with salt and lots of pepper. Finish each bowl with a thread of olive oil.
Notes — Fish out the Parmesan rind before serving. The soup thickens as it stands — loosen leftovers with a splash of water or stock. A can of drained tuna or some crumbled cooked sausage turns it into a heartier meal.