If you love soups and stews as much as I do, then this cannellini minestrone with Swiss chard is for you. This soup is complete, as it includes not only white beans and vegetables but also fresh chard.
It’s like eating soup and salad at the same time. But the best part is the crunchy texture and color that the chard adds, giving this stew an unmatched freshness.
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A Soup That’s Here to Stay
I’m all about comfort food. I love soups, stews, and a good meat or fish boil. I think my grandma Ligia had a lot to do with this taste, as she always served soup at lunch.
The first time I made this white bean and chard stew was when I still lived in Miami. I remember having to wait for the weather to get “cold” to enjoy it. And I made it again the following year. Year after year.
Luckily, now that I live in Charlotte, North Carolina, soups are back to stay on my daily menu, with their comforting effect, because they’re not only nourishment for the body but also for the soul.
Buen provecho!
Enri
Ingredients
To prepare this white bean and chard stew you’ll need:
- White beans (cannellini)
- Water
- Bacon
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Celery
- Carrot
- Tomatoes
- Fresh chard
- Fresh or dried thyme
- Coarse sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
How to Make White Bean Soup with Chard
- In a pot, cook the white beans in water until soft, tender but firm.
- Sauté the bacon in a skillet and prepare a sofrito with a little olive oil, onion, garlic, and celery. When the sofrito starts to wilt, add the carrots and tomatoes.
- Add the sofrito and a thyme bouquet to the pot with the beans and cook so the flavors blend together. Season with salt and pepper.
- Before serving, discard the thyme bouquet and adjust the seasoning. Serve with fresh chard cut just before bringing to the table.
FAQs
Other Legume Recipes You’ll Love
- Beluga Lentil Salad with Mango and Cilantro
- Three Bean Salad
- Lentil Soup with Cilantro
- Lentil Soup with Chorizo
- Lentil Soup with Bacon
- Venezuelan Black Bean Soup
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White Bean and Chard Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) white beans
- 8 cups (2 liters) water
- 4 slices (80 g / 3 oz) bacon, chopped
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
- 1 cup (150 g), onion, chopped
- 2 cloves (6 g) garlic, minced
- 2 cups (200 g) celery, chopped
- 1 cup (130 g) carrot, diced
- 2 cups (300 g) tomatoes, diced
- 4 cups (200 g) chard leaves, cut into stripes
- 1 bunch fresh thyme sprigs or 1½ tablespoons (3 g) dried thyme
- Coarse sea salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, cook the beans with the water, uncovered.
- Once it comes to a boil, boil for 10 minutes, lower the heat to medium-low and cook covered for about 45 minutes, until the beans are tender but not falling apart.
- Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, sauté the bacon for about 3–4 minutes. With a spoon, remove and discard half of the fat.
- Add the olive oil to the skillet with the bacon and sauté the onions, garlic, and celery for about 5 minutes.
- Add the carrot and tomatoes and cook for 5 more minutes.
- With a cup or ladle, remove about 1½–2 cups of beans with some of the broth they cooked in. In a blender, blend until a thick, smooth mixture forms. Add this bean cream to the pot with the soup.
- Put the beans back on medium heat and add the sofrito and thyme. Cook covered for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Remove the thyme bouquet, adjust the seasoning, and serve with fresh chard cut just before bringing to the table.
Nutrition
Notes
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