White beans have a cooling energy in the body and have been clinically proven to help reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, making them a heart-healthy powerhouse. Swirling the soup through with hearty, leafy greens prevents the soup from being too heavy; they add a light, fresh vitality, plus lots of calcium and iron.
Ingredients
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup dried cannellini beans, sorted and rinsed
- 3 to 4 cups spring or filtered water
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- Sea salt
- 1 to 2 stalks celery, finely diced
- 2 parsnips, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon sweet white miso
- 1 cup finely diced escarole
How to Make It
- Place the bay leaf in a soup pot. Add the beans, followed by the water, and bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Cover; reduce the heat to low, and simmer until soft, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil and onion in a skillet over medium heat. When the onion begins to sizzle, add a pinch of salt and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the celery and another pinch of salt; sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the parsnips and another pinch of salt; sauté, stirring occasionally, until shiny with oil.
- Transfer the beans and cooking liquid to a food processor fitted with the metal blade and puree until smooth. (A food mill doesn’t work well here for creaminess.) Return the beans to the pot over low heat, and add a small amount of water if the bean mixture is too thick or you prefer a lighter soup. In a small bowl, dissolve the miso in a small amount of the hot bean liquid. Stir the miso mixture, sautéed vegetables, and escarole into the pot. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes to activate the enzymes in the miso. Serve hot.
