Description
El Bulli Bean Soup is a rich and hearty vegetarian soup featuring creamy cannellini beans, fresh herbs, and a flavorful tomato base. This comforting soup combines slow-simmered beans with a vibrant picada topping made from garlic, parsley, hazelnuts, and olive oil, delivering a deliciously thick and aromatic dish perfect for any season.
Ingredients
Scale
Base Soup
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 large brown onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 1/4 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/3 cup tomato passata
- 4 x 14 oz cans cannellini beans, drained
- 3 cups vegetable stock
Picada Topping
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 medium garlic clove, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup whole hazelnuts
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Sauté Aromatics: Heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add minced garlic, finely chopped onion, fresh thyme, rosemary, and a bay leaf. Cook for about 8 minutes until the mixture becomes deeply golden and fragrant.
- Add Tomato Base: Stir in 1/3 cup of tomato passata. Reduce heat to low and cook gently for 8 minutes, allowing the tomato to darken and thicken, enhancing the flavor.
- Simmer Beans: Add the drained cannellini beans and 3 cups of vegetable stock to the pot. Let the soup simmer uncovered over low heat for 15 minutes to meld the flavors and heat the beans through.
- Blend Soup: Carefully ladle out about 2/3 cup of the soup and blend it until smooth. Stir this back into the pot to thicken the overall soup’s texture while maintaining some whole beans for heartiness.
- Prepare Picada and Finish: In a food processor or blender, combine parsley leaves, roughly chopped garlic clove, whole hazelnuts, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Process until well combined to form a coarse paste called picada. Stir the picada into the soup and adjust salt to taste.
- Serve: Ladle the hot soup into bowls and top each serving with a spoonful of the remaining picada for a fresh and crunchy garnish. Serve immediately.
Notes
- For a nuttier flavor, toast the hazelnuts before blending into the picada.
- Adjust the thickness of the soup by varying the amount of blended soup you stir back in.
- You can substitute cannellini beans with great northern or navy beans if preferred.
- This soup can be made vegan by ensuring vegetable stock used is plant-based.
- Leftovers keep well refrigerated for up to 3 days and taste even better the next day.
