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Three Bean Summer Soup

This is a delicious summer soup. Lighter than those of winter, it makes the most of the new season’s vegetables, whilst still filling you up and being wonderfully warming. You can use haricot beans or butter beans for this recipe, depending which you prefer. The main thing is to stick to what’s in season with the vegetables. That way they’ll be packed with flavour – and good for you too!

Ingredients

Serves 4

100g cooked haricot beans
100g butter beans (either from a can or cooked as per the packet's instructions)
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 carrots (medium)
2 potatoes (medium)
1 large leek
2 sticks celery (optional)
1 medium courgette (if available)
100g green beans (if available)
1 litre vegetable stock
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoons olive oil
Handful fresh basil leaves (if available - otherwise use your favourite fresh herbs)
1 tin tomatoes

Method

Prepare the vegetables: Peel the onions and chop finely. Scrub / peel the potato and chop into 1 cm cubes. Scrub / peel the carrots and slice into ½ cm chunks. Wash and trim the leek. Slice into 1 cm slices. Wash the celery and chop finely.
Heat the olive in a soup pan and add the onions, potatoes, carrots, leek and celery.
Sauté gently until they have softened. Stir regularly to make sure they don't brown.
Add the stock and the beans. Roughly chop the tinned tomatoes and add to the pan, with their liquid. Simmer gently for 15 minutes.
Slice the courgette into 1 cm slices and trim the green beans, chopping them in half. Add to the soup and cook for 5 minutes, until they have softened.
Peel the garlic cloves and crush them. Tear the basil leaves / chop the herbs. Mix into a paste with the olive oil. Keep on one side.
Season the soup to taste with salt & pepper then pour into individual soup bowls.
Put ¼ of the garlic mixture on top of each bowl of soup and serve with crusty bread.

Time From Cupboard-To-Table

40 minutes.

Notes & Variations on Three Bean Summer Soup

Adding a little grated (unwaxed) lemon zest to the butter gives and even more summery flavour.

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