White Bean Soup

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion (1 medium)
2 cups chopped carrot (4 to 5 carrots)
1 1/2 cups chopped celery (2 to 3 stalks)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional for heat
2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, drained and rinsed or substitute 3 cups cooked beans
6 cups stock or broth, see our ultra-satisfying veggie broth or homemade chicken stock
3 to 4 fresh thyme stalks or use 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup (4.5 ounces) small dried pasta like Ancini di Pepe, orzo or pearl couscous
3 to 4 heaped cups baby spinach or torn kale leaves without stalks
3 to 4 lemon slices

Heat the oil in a stockpot pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and the tomato paste. Cook, stirring often until the vegetables have softened and the onions are translucent; 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the garlic, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the red pepper flakes. Cook, while stirring, for one minute.
Stir in the beans, broth, thyme and the bay leaves. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil. Partially cover the pot with a lid, and then reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer.
Simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the pasta and cook for 5 minutes more, and then add the spinach or kale and cook until its bright green and tender and the pasta is cooked, about 5 minutes more.
Take the pot off of the heat and remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Stir in the lemon slices. Taste and season with more salt and pepper. Serve. The lemon slices are not intended to be eaten, but they add a lovely lemon flavor to the soup.

Any variety of bean will work in this recipe, we typically use white beans.
Lentils or split peas: When using lentils or split peas, there is no need to cook them before adding them to the soup. Simply add them along with the broth and cook until they are tender before adding the pasta. This will add approximately 10 minutes to the cook time.
Store leftover soup up to 3 days in the refrigerator and up to a month in the freezer.
Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values. Calculations included vegetable broth.