Garlic and White Bean Soup

One of my favorite food items has to be garlic.  If a recipe calls for a few cloves I usually double it.  I just love the flavor of garlic.

So, when I saw a recipe for a stew that took an entire head of garlic, I had to try it.

The recipe that follows is based on the recipe of Susan Voisin of Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.  A link to her original recipe can be found here ----> LINK.  She modified it from another recipe from years ago and I modified it to suit our tastes.  For my recipe, I omitted the parsley and salt, changed the type of white bean, and also used fresh tomatoes instead of canned.  I also make it more as a soup, not thick like a stew and served over rice as she suggested.  I love the result.

The garlic isn't overpowering and the cooked garlic cloves are really tasty smashed onto a piece of crusty bread while eating the soup.

*  I cheat and buy pre-peeled garlic from Trader Joes.  I make this after work and like the time saver.

**  Use whatever white beans you can find.  I use regular small white beans, as it is all I can find canned in the reduced sodium variety.

GARLIC AND WHITE BEAN SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

20 cloves Garlic, peeled
2 (15 oz) cans of White Beans, drained and rinsed
3-4 Carrots, sliced
2 yellow Onions, peeled and diced
1-1/2 cups of fresh diced Tomatoes, any variety
2 Bay Leaves
1 to 1-1/2 cups Water
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
sprinkle of Black Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1.  In a medium sauce pan saute onions in a few tablespoons of water so they don't stick.  Add carrots and garlic cloves and saute a few minutes more.  

2.  Add white beans, tomatoes, bay leaves and 1 cup water and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally to check consistency to see if you need to add more water.  I simmer it until the garlic and carrots are tender.  About 30-40 minutes.  Add lemon juice right before serving and top with fresh ground pepper if desired.

3.  Serve by itself or with a loaf of crusty bread for dipping.

- Bon Appetit

"  Without garlic, I simply would not care to live." - Louis Diat, Chef of the Ritz Hotel (1885-1958)

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