We got this recipe for a Tuscan white bean soup from a Weber cookbook, and made it our own. The fire-roasted tomatoes and fresh herbs really make this soup.
And that is the key: with only simple ingredients, those ingredients have to be the best, because they will really shine through. Make sure you can get the best quality cannelloni beans, tomatoes, onion and herbs you can. These simple base ingredients are the core of the soup.
We have cooked the onion on the grill and on the stovetop. Both taste great, but the grill is slightly better. It gives the onion a more smoky flavor, but the stovetop version really is just as good.
Traci and I have had this soup as a main course, with no other meats—and also as a meatless dish. Both work great.
I have also tried to find other versions of this soup, you know, to see if we could improve it. The different versions we have tried have really not been as good as this one—we keep coming back to this recipe.
Ingredients
(2) 15 oz. cans Cannelloni beans, including fluid
(2) 15 oz. cans good quality fire-roasted diced tomatoes, including fluid
1 large yellow onion, peeled
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
2 leaves fresh sage, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Extra basil and rosemary for garnish.
How To Make
Heat a grill or pan over medium heat.
Cut onion in 1/2 inch slices, leaving the onion intact as much as possible. Brush the onion with some olive oil, then grill over direct medium heat for 10 min, turning once. Or, brown over medium heat in a medium skillet for 10 min, turning once.
Remove onion from grill or skillet, let cool for about 5 min, then roughly chop.
Heat olive oil in stock pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to stock pot and cook for 3-5 min.
Add all ingredients to the stock pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 min.
Add vinegar the last 3 min of cooking time.
Garnish with some extra diced basil and a sprig of rosemary.
Prep time: 15 min.
Cook time: 45 min.
Serves 6.
Notes
Source: Marc Tabyanan.
The original recipe for this soup came from a Weber cookbook, but we have tweaked it ourselves. The keys are the best quality ingredients and herbs—they really do make a difference.