Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• 1 large white onion, chopped

• 3 stalks of celery, chopped

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 6 garlic cloves, chopped

• 6 cups water

• 2 tbsp vegetarian chicken bouillon or vegetable bouillon

• 2 1/2 pounds potatoes, chopped

• 2 cups canned navy or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

• 2 tbsp teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 tbsp Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 cup milk (or preferred milk)

• 2 tsp dried thyme

• 2 tsp red pepper flake

• 2-3 Tbsp Cornstarch, mixed into equal parts water, optional for thickening

• 4 tbsp butter, to mix into soup before serving.

Optional Toppings:

• Scallions or chives

• cooked bacon, crumbled

• Greek yogurt / non-dairy yogurt (Plain flavor) or sour cream / non-dairy Sour cream

• Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic and seasonings. Sauté 6 to 8 minutes, until softened.

Next, add the broth, potatoes, and white beans. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes are very soft and will mash with minimal effort. in the last few minutes of cooking, add in the milk.

Carefully, use an emersion blender to blend the soup while it’s still in the pot. Alternatively, to blend up the soup, you could very carefully (ya know…cause it’s boiling hot) transfer the soup in small batches to a blender, blend until smooth, and return each blended batch back to the pot.

At this point, if you find that the soup is not as thick as you would like, Turn the heat back up briefly to bring it back to a boil, and start stirring in the cornstarch slurry in increments, until you get to the thickness you like.

now turn off the heat and prepare to serve. Spoon or Ladle the soup into bowls. and stir a bit of butter into each serving. Season to taste with more salt and pepper and top with any (or all) of the optional toppings. Enjoy!