Loaded Potato & White Bean Soup
Image: White ceramic serving bowl containing soup made from potato, white beans and various other ingredients
Description: Potato soup might be on my top five comfort-food soups for the winter season and the addition of white beans adds more fiber! Make yourself a bowl and enjoy!
Yield: Recipe makes 3-4 servings
Ingredients:
6 cups water
2 1/2 pounds potatoes, chopped
2 cups canned navy or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large white onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 cup milk (or preferred milk)
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetarian chicken bouillon or vegetable bouillon
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons red pepper flake
2-3 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed into equal parts water, optional for thickening
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Optional Toppings:
1 teaspoon butter, per serving
1 tablespoon Scallions or chives, per serving
1 piece cooked bacon, crumbled, per serving
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt or sour cream, per serving
2 tablespoons Cheddar cheese, shredded, per serving
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 immersion 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, and blending until smooth, setting aside each blended batch to prep blending subsequent batches , then return the blended soup back to the cooking 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!