Simple White Bean, Tomato & Rice Soup for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

I have the sniffles left from a summer cold and a craving for a brothy bean soup--something simple and filling, yet not too heavy. Mark Bittman has a simple White Bean Soup recipe in his How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and a list of 10 Ideas for White Bean Soup to add more and different flavors that I used as my inspiration and the base of this easy pantry soup.

I adapted both the recipe and some of his ideas (tomato paste, canned diced tomatoes, rice, and a drizzle of olive oil before serving) for this soup. My additions to the recipe are in red below. 
 

White Bean Tomato & Rice Soup
Adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman
(Makes 6 Servings) 

2 Tbsp olive oil + more for serving
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
(I added 3 cloves of garlic, minced) 
2 bay leaves
pinch dried thyme or 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (I used 1 tsp dried thyme and added 1/2 tsp dried tarragon, 1/2 tsp caraway seeds and 1/2 tsp celery seed)
(I added 1 Tbsp sun-dried tomato paste & 1 (14oz) can of diced, fire-roasted tomatoes with their liquid)
6 cups good vegetable stock (I used "not chicken" stock cubes)
(I added 1/2 cup dried long grain rice)
3-4 cups cooked white beans* 
salt and fresh ground pepper
(I added the juice of 1/2 fresh lemon)
chopped parsley leaves for garnish, optional (I used chopped celery leaves and chopped fresh tarragon)

*Bittman give instructions for using/cooking this soup with dried  white beans. I wanted a faster soup and to use up some excess boxes of cooked cannellini beans I had in the pantry--so I have adapted his recipe to use cooked beans. 

Heat a large pot over medium-low heat and add olive oil. When hot, add onions, carrot and celery and saute until softened, about 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic, spices, and tomato paste and cook for another minute or two. Add diced tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil over high heat, then turn heat down so mixture is steadily simmering. Simmer for 15 minutes to soften veggies and build flavor. 

Stir in rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover pot and cook for 15-20 minutes until rice is mostly cooked and softened. Stir in cooked beans and cook another 5 minutes. Taste and season with sea salt, black pepper and a some fresh lemon juice if desired. 

Serve garnished with chopped fresh herbs of choice. Enjoy!

Notes/Results: A simple but flavorful and satisfying bean soup that hit the spot. I liked the mix of herbs and spices I used and think they added more dimension to the beans than just the thyme and bay leaves and when used canned (or in this case tetra-pak) beans, they add some of the flavor you lose from not using dried beans. You can of course switch your spices around to include your favorites and what you have on hand. The lemon juice, along with the tomatoes add some brightness that make this soup straddle the line between summer and fall well. I would make this soup again. 

I am linking this soup up over at I Heart Cooking Clubs where it will be Potluck week starting tomorrow. Our chance to make any recipe from our current featured chef or any past IHCC featured chefs like Mark Bittman. You can see what everyone made by checking out the picture links on the post.
 

We have some good friends in the Souper Sundays kitchen who shared some marvelous dishes last week--let's have a look! 

 
It's been awhile since we've seen Elizabeth at The Lawyer's Cookbook at Souper Sundays so we're happy she linked up her Farro Soup this week. She says, "I don’t really know why I’m making soup in the summer in the desert, but it worked out that it was cooler tonight than it has been. I don’t have much to say – except that this recipe was good. I served it with these rosemary breadsticks."

 
It's great to see Debbie of The Friday Friends, back with Tortilla Soup. She says, "I always thought I liked a creamy tortilla soup the best, but this clear brothy one (yes, brothy is a word) is so, so good!  Because you add sliced jalapenos, there is a hint of  chili flavor throughout, but it's not terribly hot. Believe me, I couldn't take it if it were just HOT-- there was just a hint of that jalapeno in the broth, and it was Delicious! It's a simple soup too--only a few ingredients, but put together they are perfect!"

Kim of Stirring the Pot shared a flavorful Roast Chicken Sandwich with Muffalata Spread and said, "Now that school is back in session, sandwiches are a lunchbox staple. I like to pack something light and easy to eat. I always welcome a new sandwich recipe to help me change things up. ... This is a sandwich that I will pack in my lunchbox and look forward to eating. The briney flavors of the olive spread really perk things up and take it to another level."

Another returning friend is Shaheen from Allotment2Kitchen who linked up this healthy Dirty Green Cauliflower 'Couscous' and Courgette Salad. She said, "Anyway, this is a bowl of Dirty Green Cauliflower Couscous Salad blitzed in my blender. The dirty green from herbs and courgettes from my garden, enhanced by the piquancy of black olives. I scattered over some sunflower and pumpkin seeds too."

 
Tina of Squirrel Head Manor shared a Grilled Chicken Taco Salad she enjoyed and said, "It’s not as if I’m working in the heat or that I have horrible work mates, although they have their moments…..I’m in an air conditioned office and I live in Dilbert-land Monday through Friday. Pity the Government Drone as she longs for fresh cool air, a good book, a pot of coffee, a grilled chicken taco salad and maybe a ride along the rural back roads of Georgia. OK, one thing I did manage this past week – the grilled chicken taco salad."

Finally, we have another longtime Souper Sundays friend, Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe back with us. Johanna shared Thai Curry Split Pea Soup and said, "E and I ate the soup four nights in a row, served over some rice. I really loved the taste of the yellow curry past in the soup. I had hoped for more texture in the split peas. However once I had brought the split peas to the boil, I raced out the door to pick up Sylvia from school and in that time they softened more than I intended. Which took it from elegant to comfort food. Not a bad thing! We love comfort food here!"

Thanks to everyone who joined in this week!

Souper Sundays is back with a new format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following week.)

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here. 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you.

On your entry post (on your blog):

• please mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and link back to this post.
• you are welcome to add the wonderful Souper Sundays logo (created by Ivy at Kopiaste) to your post and/or blog (optional).

An InLinkz Link-up

 
Have a happy, healthy week!