As our One-Pot Blogger Party ends, we conclude with a hearty pot of Tuscan White Bean Soup—with soup, there is always enough for everyone. Thank you for joining me over the last three weeks in reviewing Emeril’s newest collection of recipes in Simmering Skillets and Other One Pot Wonders. I am honored Savoring Today was chosen to be part of this project it has been a privilege.
Special thanks to William Morrow Cookbooks, of Harper Collins Publishers, The Secret Ingredient, Emeril, and his team for inviting such a terrific group of bloggers to the party. Their team has been supportive, encouraging, and delightful throughout. If you haven’t already, please visit the other 19 One-Pot Bloggers, I think you will enjoy their culinary adventures very much.
Now for the final stirring of the pot…
Tuscan White Bean Soup with Broccoli Rabe is one of the recipes we are allowed to share in full, so I couldn’t pass up making a pot at home too. In a house full of carnivores it was hard to imagine making bean soup without ham or smoked turkey, but I wanted to stay as close to the original as possible. Uncertain as I was about the lemon component of this soup, it worked! It subtly blended into the background of the broth brightening other savories as well as the broccoli just a bit.
With the absence of meat, it seemed only appropriate to serve it with Bacon Irish Soda Bread, which proved a worthy companion. I highly recommend cannellini beans—a larger, plump white bean with a creamy texture—and as with any soup, homemade stock is ideal for the base. I hope you’ve been saving your Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rinds (I have extra if you live close-by) it is a wonderful flavor boost. Of course, shaved Parmesan to top it off is good too!
Tuscan White Bean Soup with Broccoli Rabe
Emeril's Tuscan White Bean Soup with Broccoli Rabe
This is a comforting, hearty soup with flavors reminiscent of northern Italy. We used baby lima beans because we just love their tender, creamy consistency, although in Italy it would likely be made with cannellini beans or great Northern beans. Use whichever beans you love or have on hand; just take note that the cooking time will vary slightly.
Yields 13 cups, about 6 servings
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups small-diced onion
1 cup small-diced celery
1 cup small-diced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
8 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
2 pounds dried white beans (cannellini, baby lima, or great Northern), rinsed, picked over, soaked overnight, and drained
1 piece Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind, about 1 × 3 inches
1 bay leaf
4 cups water
1 ½ pounds broccoli rabe, tough stem ends trimmed, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated (about 1 ½ cups)
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1. Heat the olive oil in an 8-quart soup pot or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the black pepper and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, dried Italian herbs, and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the stock, beans, Parmesan rind, bay leaf, and water and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat to simmer gently and cook, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, 45 to 60 minutes.
2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer about 1 cup of the beans from the pot to a small bowl and mash them with the back of a spoon. Return the mashed beans to the soup and add the remaining 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and continue to cook, uncovered, until the broth thickens slightly, about 15 minutes. Add the remaining black pepper, the broccoli rabe, and rosemary sprig and continue to cook until the broccoli rabe is just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Remove the Parmesan rind, bay leaf, and rosemary sprig and discard them. Serve the soup in wide, shallow bowls, garnished with grated Parmesan and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Click on the Photo for Order Info
Emeril’s Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders is now available!
Cajun Shrimp Stew,
Spicy Vegetable Coconut Curry, Turkey Club Casserole, Wok-Seared Duck Salad, Rigatoni with A Beefy Mushroom Gorgonzola Sauce,
“BTL” Risotto and more than 130 other delectable recipes are compiled in this great cookbook. Just click on the link or the photo to order yours and start enjoying them today.
Meet Emeril at “Sizzling Skillets” book tour! Check Emeril’s Newsroom for details and cities. Also, check out ‘EMERIL’S TABLE’ on the Hallmark Channel. He describes it this way, “Food brings us all a little closer together and I hope that as we’re gathering around my table each day everyone will invite us in to their kitchens and be inspired to cook along.” I couldn’t agree more!
Disclosure: For my participation in The Secret Ingredient’s One-Pot Blogger Cooking Party, I received a copy of Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders, a jar of Emeril’s Essence seasoning, and a set of Emeril – by zak! Table Art 7-piece. Once the party concludes, upon my successful completion, I will receive a $50 grocery reimbursement and a set of Emeril’s cookbooks.
Shared on the following Blog Hops:
21st Century Housewife Hearth & Soul
Real Food Forager Fat Tuesday
SS&GF Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
EKat’s Kitchen Friday Potluck
Mom Trends Food Friday
Real Food Whole Health Fresh Bites Friday
The Healthy Home Economist Monday Mania
The Nourishing Gourmet Pennywise Platter Thursday
What a great meal. This has been such a fun series! We’re going to New Orleans for Katherine’s birthday and one of the restaurants is a place Emeril once cooked at. When he was getting his start that is.
Nothing like eating in NO, so much great food to choose from! Happy Birthday to Katherine! Eat some bbq shrimp for me
This looks like a really hearty and tasty soup! You certainly show it off well with your pictures. I made a pot of white beans today so this looks like a great recipe to use some of those beans. These recipes have been quite an adventures and it’s been enjoyable seeing what you’ve done with them. Great job Judy!
Thanks, MJ, glad you joined me
We’ve got some broccoli rabe growing in the garden, so I’m bookmarking this recipe. Have a great Sunday!
Another promising, savory stew for these nasty cold days! Easy enough to make vegan, just by using some vegan cheese, too. It looks so comforting.
Yes, it is a great meal for cold weather! All of these recipes have been easy to customize, especially for my gluten-free daughter
We just love a good White Bean Soup and your recipe looks delicious. Thanks for sharing and hope you are having a great week!
Miz Helen
Thanks for linking your great post to FAT TUESDAY. The soup looks marvelous! Hope to see you next week! Be sure to visit RealFoodForager.com on Sunday for
Sunday Snippets – your post from Fat Tuesday may be featured there!
http://realfoodforager.com/2011/10/fat-tuesday-october-4-2011/
If you have grain-free recipes please visit Wednesday night for a grain-free linky carnival in support of my 28 day grain-free challenge starting Wednesday!
Wow, this looks really delicious! Broccoli raab, aka wild mustard, grows wild in my area, and its just starting to come into season. Together with white beans and homemade broth, this soup sounds absolutely delicious and frugal. I can’t wait to try it out! Thanks for sharing with the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop!!!
Yes this looks lovely – I do like a bean soup – so filling and nutritious! It is amazing what a squeeze of lemon can do to dishes too isn’t it?
I have recently fallen hard for Broccoli raab, so this soup really caught my eye! Thanks for sharing with the Hearth and Soul.
Looks divine! Thanks so much for sharing on Friday Food with Momtrends.
I need to find some Broccoli raab. looks delicious. thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop.
This looks wonderful! I’ve been on a soup kick lately (recently moved to Colorado, it’s colder than TX!)
Thanks for linking up to Momtrends this week.
~Shannon, Food Channel Editor, Momtrends.com
Really, no one pays much attention to all the “gee, this looks good” remarks, but those who are serious about trying this recipe would love to hear from cooks out there who have actually tried this soup. Anyone?
Pam, thanks for taking time to comment, I appreciate the opportunity to receive feedback and answer questions. Because this soup doesn’t have the benefit of borrowing flavor from meat, it is important to start with homemade stock if possible. Our family prefers smoked meat in beans, so I was surprised they liked this. They didn’t like it better than the ham & bean variety, but they liked it. The Parmesan and lemon give it a salty, savory, bright flavor, the broccoli is really just an accent. I hope this is helpful, please feel free to email me with any other questions you might have.