Israeli White Bean Soup

Israeli White Bean Soup is one of my favorite recipes from my cafe days, and it’s still a big favorite at home. It’s so easy to make, pretty to look at, delicious, and nutritious. What more could you want? Other than to make it in an Instant Pot, in which case you can check out this version.

Israeli White Bean Soup

(Makes about 2 gal.)

Ingredients 

• Olive Oil, 1/3 cup
• Garlic, 1 TB
• Spanish onion, 1 lg, petite diced
• Celery, 2 lg stalks, bias cut
• Carrots, 2 lg, bias cut
• Potatoes, 5, 1″ dice, skin on
• Cumin, 1 TB
• Tomato, 8 lg plum tomatoes, petite diced, or one  28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
• Tomato Paste,  3 heaping TB or to desired thickness
• Salt, 2 tsp or to taste
• Szeged hot paprika, 1/2-1 tsp
• Cilantro, 1 bunch, chopped
• White beans (Navy Pea Beans or Canellini), 2 lb. dried
• Water, 3 quarts to start

Directions

1. Add olive oil to a pot large enough to hold the entire soup, and saute garlic.
2. Add petite diced or chopped onions and sauté.
3. Rinse beans well, and put in pot to cook with fresh water to cover, about 3 quarts. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat to simmer, cover pot and cook ’til beans are almost tender.
4. Add celery and carrots cut on the bias. Simmer for about 10 minutes, adding more water if needed.
5. Add potatoes, diced tomatoes tomato paste, and continue to simmer until the potatoes are barely tender.
6. Add remaining seasonings and water to desired thickness, and bring soup back to simmer.
7. When finished, the soup should be thick with veggies and beans but with enough broth to be soup.
8. Add chopped cilantro at end of cooking process, and remove from heat.