I left a glowing review of this recipe on Tasty Kitchen–and for good reason.
What a perfect weeknight meal! It’s filling, quick and easy to make, super tasty, and healthy to boot (creamy without the cream). I served it with some goat cheese sprinkled on top, which was delicious. This recipe is awesome and everyone should make it immediately.
I was a little worried that since the texture of the soup is creamy it wouldn’t be interesting enough to have as a stand-alone dish. But I was wrong! I couldn’t get enough of this stuff, and continued to eat spoonfuls of it straight from the pot after finishing a bowl and a half of it for dinner. You can also serve it with some crostini, as the lovely author of the original recipe suggests.
Though great by itself, since the cilantro and lime flavors scream “Mexican!” to me, I couldn’t help envisioning that this would also be great alongside some tacos or enchiladas.
Ingredients
(Serves 5)
3 TBS olive oil
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3-15 oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 limes, zested and juiced
2 cups vegetable stock
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Optional garnishes: cilantro, lime wedges, goat cheese, crostini
Here’s our humble assembly, which in under 30 minutes will be transformed into an addictive, filling soup.
Start out by chopping the onion and mincing the garlic.
Everything is going to be pureed at the end, so there’s no need for a pretty dice.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat, add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.
While that’s cooking away, zest both the limes.
You’re probably tired of me extolling the virtues of my microplane zester, but bear with me one more time–it’s amazing. Zesting a lime on a regular box grater = danger untold. (i.e., the skin shaved off your knuckles as the citrusy acid burns the cut). With the microplane, zesting things is safer and easier. Just remember: Safety First, Safety Always. Thus endeth my small sermon.
Now, squeeze the living daylights out of those limes to extract every drop of juice.
Add the cannellini beans and lime zest to the pot . . .
. . . and cook for 2-3 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
You should have enough time at this juncture to give the cilantro a rough chop:
Set aside a little cilantro and maybe a wedge or two of lime to garnish the soup later.
And it’s back to the pot! Add the stock . . .
. . . the lime juice . . .
. . . and the cilantro.
Lovely!
Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and lower the heat.
Simmer for 5 minutes. During those 5 minutes, please haphazardly toss bowls, spoons and napkins on the table and call it a ‘tablescape’ as you shout “Dinner in ffffiiiiiiive!”
Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until creamy.
Now give the soup a taste . . .
. . . and season it with salt and pepper until it’s to your liking.
Serve hot!
Oh yes.
There are so many choices for garnishing this soup. Personally, I really loved the goat cheese.
You could also do crumbled crackers.
It’s just so dang good, people.
I can’t wait to personally devour the leftovers.*
*As this post was written over a week ago, the leftovers are long gone. So please don’t go looking in my fridge for them, because if you do, you will only find heartache and despair.
Click here for printer-friendly version: Cilantro Lime White Bean Soup
