Kuru Fasulye Çorbası (White Bean & Vegetable Soup)

Kuru Fasulye Çorbası (White Bean & Vegetable Soup). Another vegan, gluten-free, store cupboard and root veg beauty. And that bread I posted earlier would be perfect dipped into this. A little lunch or dinner inspo for today, I just love this one. A good drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice, fresh parsley and pul biber to serve. Even better the next day. 

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 large carrots, 2 finely chopped, 1 roughly chopped

4 large sticks celery (and leaves), 2 finely chopped, 2 roughly chopped 

4 potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1 bay leaf 
Few sprigs thyme (just the leaves)
2 tomatoes, peeled, roughly chopped 
4 garlic cloves, peeled, bashed and roughly chopped 
1 tsp red pepper paste
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley 
2 vegetable stock cubes OR 1 tub fresh vegetable stock topped up to 2.5 ltr with boiling water
2 cans washed and drained cannellini beans or 500g cooked cannellini beans (250g dried beans that have been soaked overnight and then cooked in fresh water for an hour to an hour and a half or so)

METHOD

Add olive oil to a large soup pan on a med-low heat. 

Add onions and soften for 8-10 mins (turn the heat down if they’re browning, they should turn translucent). Add finely chopped carrots, celery and bay and sauté for another 8-10 mins (add a little more oil if you think necessary). 

Add the tomatoes and garlic and soften for a couple of mins before adding the red pepper paste, then the chunky carrots, celery (and leaves), potatoes and thyme leaves, coating everything in the softened veg and oils. 

Add the beans, stir well but gently, then add the parsley, the stock,  bring up to a roiling boil, turn right down, put lid on and simmer for 35-40 mins until the potatoes have softened. 

Let the soup rest with lid on for 20-30 mins before serving. 

The trick is to gently mash a few of the potatoes into the soup to give it a creamier texture (“biraz meladalansın” as my mum says in Turkish). 

Serve with pul biber, fresh parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.