Vegetarian Cooking: Bean and vegetable soup recipe

Bean and vegetable soup Recipe Ingredients

• 250 g/oz dried haricot beans, soaked overnight and drained

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 1 large onion, choipped

• 2 leeks, chopped

• 3 celery stalks, chopped

• 2 carrots, sliced

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed (optional)

• 700ml/ 1 ¼ pints of vegetable stock

• 225 g/8 oz can tomatoes

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 table spoon chopped parsley, to garnish

How To Cook (Cooking Instructions)

1. Cover the beans with fresh hot water and boil for 10 minutes then cover and simmer for about 2 hours until they are tender. Drain. 
2.  Heat the oil in large saucepan, add the onion and fry gently for 2 minutes. Add the leeks, celery and carrots to pan with garlic, if using and cook a further 2 minutes
3. Add the stock and beans, together with the tomatoes and their juice, the oregano and plenty of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with parsley.

Time

 preparation takes 15 minutes, cooking time is 2 ¾ hours.

Service ideas

serve the soup with plenty of hot, crusty French bread

Variations

other varieties of dried beans may be used such as red kidney, black-eye or butter beans. The same cooking instructions apply. Or use canned beans and start recipe from stage 2.

Freezing

after stage 3, cool the soup and pour into a rigid container, seal, label and freeze for up to 3 months.
To defrost: reheat slowly from the pan, stirring from time to time and add seasoning and stock if required.