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White bean and pickle soup with spinach
Canned white beans make a quick, creamy soup base without cream. Add spinach and chopped pickles at the end so both remain distinct.
In this guide4 sections
Use the beans already cooked
Two tins of white beans turn a small collection of vegetables into a generous pot of soup. Mash part of the beans against the pan to thicken the stock, then add spinach and pickles just before serving. You get a creamy-looking broth with plenty left to chew.
Dill pickles supply the strongest seasoning in this meat-free bowl. Cannellini or butter beans both work; their drained weight matters more than the tin size. Dried beans are a separate preparation and cannot go straight into this short cooking method.
Yield: 4 servings. Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 25 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 150 g onion, finely diced
- 120 g carrot, cut into small dice
- 100 g celery, finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 480 g canned white beans, drained and rinsed
- 900 ml reduced-salt vegetable stock
- 100 g baby spinach, washed
- 140 g drained dill pickles, diced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 10 g fresh dill, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Method
- Warm the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring, until the onion softens and the vegetables start to smell sweet.
Let the onion soften with the carrot and celery before adding garlic. - Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Tip in the drained beans and stock. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for 10 minutes until the carrot is tender.
- Use a potato masher to press some of the beans against the bottom of the pan. Stop while plenty remain whole. The broth should become lightly cloudy and thicker without turning into a smooth puree.
Mash only part of the beans; leave plenty whole in the broth. - Stir in the spinach in two handfuls, letting the first wilt before adding the second. Add the pickles and mustard. Simmer for 2 minutes, just long enough to heat everything through.
Fold in the spinach, then warm the pickles through briefly. - Take off the heat and add the dill and pepper. Taste a spoonful containing both bean and pickle before deciding whether any extra seasoning is needed. Serve in warm bowls.
Thicken it with the spoon
An immersion blender is unnecessary here and makes it easy to overshoot. If you want a thicker bowl, scoop out a mugful of beans with a little broth, mash them thoroughly and stir them back. For a thinner soup, add a small splash of hot water.
Chop large spinach leaves before they go in so they do not form long strings around the spoon. Frozen spinach can carry a lot of water; for this recipe, use the specified fresh leaves rather than making an unmeasured swap.
Serve a smaller bowl beside pickle grilled cheese, or choose barley and mushroom soup when you have more cooking time.
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