This hearty mediterranean white bean soup with vegetables is so delicious and nourishing. Cooked with spices, herbs, and topped with flavorful cheeses, this is a really comforting soup that everyone will love. All you need are some pantry staples for a quick soup that also tastes fancy.
Saute Onions: In a large dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until softened but not brown, stirring in between, about 2 minutes.
Cook Vegetables: Add the chopped potatoes, celery, carrots and bell peppers. Cook until the vegetables are a bit softened, stirring regularly, about 5 minutes.
Season: Add grated garlic, oregano, ground coriander, red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Cook, tossing often, until aromatic, about 2 minutes.
Simmer: Then add crushed tomatoes, white beans, broth and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low-medium, place a lid and simmer until vegetables are soft and flavors come together, about 20 minutes.
Flavor: Add crumbled feta cheese, parmesan cheese, lemon juice and parsley. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Thicken: If you prefer to thicken the soup, take corn starch in a small bowl, add ½ cup of the cooled soup and mix until smooth. Then add it back to the soup in the dutch oven, stirring often, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Serve: Turn off the heat. Garnish with fresh parsley, cheeses, olive oil, red pepper flakes and serve.
Notes
Dried Beans: Soak 1 cup of any dried white beans overnight in a large bowl of water. Drain the water and add the beans to a cooking pot. Add 4 cups of water and 2 pinches of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until soft and tender.
Quick soaking method: Take the beans with water and bring to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and soak the beans with a pinch of baking soda for 2 hours. Drain the water and cook the beans as above.
Slow Cooker: Take all the ingredients (except lemon juice, cornstarch, parsley and cheeses) in the slow cooker bowl. If using dried beans, add an extra cup of water or broth. Add seasonings to taste. Cover and cook for 4 to 5 hours at high setting or 7 hours or so at low setting. Stir in corn starch mixture in the last 30 minutes. Garnish with lemon juice, parsley and cheeses.
Meal Prep: Chop the vegetables (except potato) and have them ready.
Storage: You can refrigerate the soup for 4 to 5 days or freeze for couple months. Thaw and reheat, adding water to adjust consistency.
Nutrition facts not including added salt.
For more information on ingredients, variations, recipe FAQs and serving suggestions, scroll up the page to the blog post.