White Bean Bruschetta Soup with Rosemary & Olive Oil Croutons

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October 24, 2010 by Dana

When sharing a little 600 square foot apartment, you learn how to distinguish what you really want from what you really need.  You only buy what’s absolutely necessary.  You hold off on getting anything that will take up a lot of space.  You make do with what you have…

…in the Land of Make Believe.

In real life, you cram.  You cram your sweaters and jackets into huge Tupperware containers and shove them under the bed during the summer.  You cram up all of your college textbooks and old stuffed animals into boxes and store them in your storage unit parents’ basement (thanks, mom!).  And you cram your boyfriend’s clothes onto one closet shelf and take the rest for yourself.  (You might have to repeat that last step a few times.  He may think he is entitled to more than one shelf.  Don’t worry.  He’ll learn.)

What you don’t do is deprive yourself.  You never know when you’ll need that panini maker, or when that fifth pair of super cute boots will come in handy.

So, keeping true to my above advice, I am entering a contest to win some extra kitchen gadgets by participating in the Kitchen Play progressive party.  Do I need a Sur La Table V-Slicer or Le Creuset French Oven?  Maybe not.  But it can’t hurt to cram a few extra things into my kitchen cabinets.

Ingredients

Rosemary & Olive Oil Croutons:
1 small stale baguette
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ teaspoons dried rosemary
Garlic powder, for sprinkling

White Bean Bruschetta Soup:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 small onions, chopped
32 oz chicken broth
3 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 cans (15 oz each) cannelli beans, rinsed and drained

The Kitchen Play challenge that I decided to tackle was to recreate the appetizer course of the meal, which was a delicious looking White Bean Bruchetta with Olive Oil & Rosemary from In Good Taste.  Instead of taking the recipe literally, I deconstructed it to create a White Bean Bruschetta Soup with Rosemary & Olive Oil Croutons.

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 400º F.

2.  Cut the baguette into 1 inch cubes and lightly brush or spray the cubes with 1 teaspoon olive oil.  Sprinkle the cubes with ½ teaspoon dried rosemary and lightly sprinkle with garlic powder.  Bake the croutons for 5-7 minutes until golden brown.  Set aside.

3.  In a large soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat.  Add onions and garlic to the pot, and cook for 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

4.  Add chicken broth, dried rosemary, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, salt, black pepper, and one can of beans to the pot.  Cover and bring to a boil.  As soon as the soup reached a boil, immediately lower the heat and simmer on low for 20 minutes.

5.  Using an immersion blender, or by very carefully transferring the soup to a blender, puree the mixture until thick and smooth.

6.  Return the soup to the pot.  Add the remaining can of beans to the soup and simmer for 5 more minutes.

7.  Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with croutons.  Enjoy!

I was a little nervous about this soup, because I don’t usually create my own recipes.  But since I knew the flavors would work well together, I gave it a shot.  I’m glad I did, because the soup was so filling and delicious.  It was perfect to combat the cold-grey-weather-blues!