Tuscan White Bean and Tomato Stew

October 31, 2013

First off, thank you all for your kind words and “talking me off a ledge”, so to speak, the other day. I am glad that all new moms have these panicky feelings. Just to give you a quick update on a few of my panic-inducing issues; the dresser is surprisingly on its way and I finally washed and organized all the baby clothes!

Now that the baby clothes are all clean and organized, I am having a frightening thought go through my head. “What if the baby ends up being a girl?” But, my non-pregnant/non-crazy part of my brain is making me take a deep breath and not think about that now.

OK, off of baby stuff and on to soup!

Last Linkin’ Weekend, I shared my excitement over soup season finally being here. I love soup. In fact, my freezer is full of five different soups right now. It is just a little squirrel-like habit I have that helps me prepare for winter.

This past month, at least once a week, has been soup and a BLT/grilled cheese night. Soup is so easy to make that I never buy canned soups anymore. I am also getting around to getting away from buying canned beans too!

This recipe I used dry cannellini beans, but if you are still all about cans for convenience, go ahead and use a can or two in this recipe and save yourself some time. Don’t worry. I totally get it. Not everybody has time to soak beans overnight.

I want to call this a soup, but because the beans soak up some of the cooking liquid, it turns out to be more of a heartier stew. It is totally gluten-free and vegan AND good for you! Make it and start squirreling away soups with me!

Oh, and what makes it Tuscan? I have no idea. I just liked the way that sounded!

Tuscan White Bean and Tomato Stew

Course Soup
Prep Time 12 hours
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 13 hours 30 minutes
Servings 8 -10
Author Sarcastic Cooking

Ingredients

  • 16 Ounces Dried Cannellini Beans
  • 7 Cups Water
  • 15 Ounces Canned Diced Tomatoes
  • 32 Ounces Canned Crushed Tomatoes
  • 1 Cup Vegetable Stock
  • 1 Tablespoon Salt
  • ½ Tablespoon Black Pepper
  • 1 Clove of Garlic grated
  • 2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Rosemary
  • 3 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
  • ¼ - ½ Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
  • 2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Basil
  • 2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Parsley

Instructions

  1. The night before you want to make the soup, rinse the dry beans under cool running water in a colander. Pick out any discolored or odd looking beans. Add the beans to a large stock pot or Dutch oven. Cover with the seven cups of water and let sit overnight.
  2. When ready to cook the beans and soup, add the cans of tomatoes to the pot along with the salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and garlic. Give a stir. Bring the pot to a slow simmer over medium/low heat. Cover with lid. Simmer the soup for an hour.
  3. After an hour, add all of the fresh herbs to the pot. Simmer for another thirty minutes until the beans are tender.
  4. Serve soup with a dash of heavy cream if you want to be unhealthy and serve alongside your favorite sandwich. Soup can be stored in an airtight container and frozen for up to a month.

Recipe Notes

If you want to substitute canned beans, use at least two 15 ounce cans. Also only use four cups of water in the recipe and cook the soup for forty five minutes instead of an hour and a half.

PS Happy Halloween to you Halloween lovers out there. Me, I say bah humbug to the whole thing, even though I will be handing out candy to the neighborhood kids out of fear of an egging.

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  • Jennie @themessybakerblog
    November 4, 2013 at 7:32 am

    I can’t bring myself to eat canned soup anymore. It tastes artificial and the chicken is always rubbery. This is one good lookin’ bowl of soup. Pinned.

  • Stephie @ EYHO
    November 1, 2013 at 11:36 pm

    Mmmmm, definitely going to be giving this soup a try soon. Looks perfect for my teaching days when I have to get dinner made ahead of time and reheat as necessary! (And praise Jesus, the dresser is almost here!)

  • ashley - baker by nature
    November 1, 2013 at 12:34 pm

    Mmmm this looks so comforting! I wish I had a giant bowl in front of me NOW.

  • Shea @ Dixie Chik Cooks
    November 1, 2013 at 8:02 am

    Beautiful soup!

  • Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner
    October 31, 2013 at 1:55 pm

    This is my first visit to your blog, but I’m thinking it sounds like you’re pregnant…hopefully that’s correct and if so congratulations! If I’m wrong, um, then I’m wrong and hopefully my compliments on the soup will resonate. 😉
    Seriously loving this soup. I’m all about soups this time of year! I love that it’s easy and healthy, oh and not to mention tasty. Soup with seasoning!? Yes, please. And I love that it’s hearty. Definitely need to make. 🙂

    • Stefanie
      October 31, 2013 at 7:54 pm

      Welcome!!! Yes, definitely pregnant right now. Only five weeks to go! Thanks for your compliments and for stopping by!

  • Susan
    October 31, 2013 at 1:46 pm

    This soup almost make me want to start liking beans, it looks all tasty and hearty!

    • Stefanie
      October 31, 2013 at 7:53 pm

      Whaaaaa?!?! You have to like beans!! If you don’t like the whole bean you can even purée them and make a kin of creamy soup. Julia from A Cedar Spoon has a recipe up for a soup like that right now!

  • Sadye
    October 31, 2013 at 1:41 pm

    Yum, looking forward to this! And hey, that squirrel-like tendency with soup ought to come in super-handy once the little one arrives.

  • Kathleen
    October 31, 2013 at 9:54 am

    Glad to hear you’re feeling a little less anxious! I’m due with my 2nd boy about a month after you. Don’t worry, little boys are AWESOME! He will pee on you, though; just keep a washcloth handy when you’re changing diapers to keep it “under wraps”. 🙂 And dirty diapers are much less horrifying than we all assume, especially if you’re breastfeeding. I haven’t started freezing meals yet so I need to get on that. You’ll love not having to cook or meal plan that first couple weeks!

  • Julia
    October 31, 2013 at 8:51 am

    Love this soup!! I like that you left it chunky with the beans instead of pureeing it–great change to what I normally do!