Early fall begins the season of ushering in all kinds of wonderful comfort foods. And one of the easiest and quickest ways to enjoy a cool fall evening is with a nice bowl of hot soup and your favorite sandwich.
Let’s face it, there are just some evenings when you need something quick, but you also want to keep it good and healthy for you and your family.
When it comes to soup, there are so many varieties that you can make but when it comes to cost, nutrition and endless possibilities for creating a recipe that the entire family will love, beans are by far your best bet. And to make it a real winner especially for busy families, beans can be prepared easily, with very little fuss using an old favorite — your trusty Crockpot.
There are all kinds of choices when it comes to beans and the nice thing about a hearty bean soup is it can be served for dinner or as a nice lunch box entrée as well. This month’s recipe is one of my favorites and when you add a good sandwich, it is all you need for a hearty dinner.
Be sure to check out a future issue for a couple of my favorite sandwich recipes.
In the meantime, get out the Crockpot and let’s get cooking!
White Bean Soup w/Pesto
Ingredients:
- 1 small bag navy beans
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Basil pesto (store-bought or see recipe below)
- Smoked Turkey (optional)
- Olive oil, about 4 tbs.
Technique:
Spread beans onto a cookie sheet and examine, removing any pebbles and dirt. Transfer beans to a large glass bowl, add water and rinse thoroughly. Add enough water to bowl to cover beans entirely plus about 6 inches of additional water as beans will expand once soaked; cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator and soak overnight. For a quick soak, put beans in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to soak for one hour.
To prepare recipe, add olive oil to a hot large heavy-duty pot. Sautee onions until translucent, or about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté an additional 2 minutes. If using smoked turkey, add turkey pieces and stir. Do not add salt if using smoked turkey or reduce the amount of salt to prevent over-salting. Cover pot with a lid, reduce heat to low and allow turkey to “sweat” for about 3 minutes.
Add soaked beans and about 5 cups of water. Add salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook beans until tender. When finished cooking, remove half of the beans (not turkey), and put into a food processor or blender. Puree beans until smooth. Return to pot and stir completely.
To serve, spoon into your favorite bowl and, top with 1 tablespoon basil pesto and or a little chili oil for an extra kick.
Enjoy!
Note* — Pesto is made using pine nuts, so if you have someone who is sensitive or allergic to nuts, do not use.
This soup is low on cost, high in protein and low in calories. Definitely fits the category of “good choices,” for you and your family!
Homemade Basil Pesto
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups fresh basil leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ¾ cup Parmesan Cheese
- ¼ cup olive oil
Technique:
Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until well-blended or the consistency is smooth like butter. Remove from food processor and store in glass canning jar in the refrigerator until ready to use.