White Bean and Porcini Soup

January is definitely a soup kind of month, when all I want is a warm bowl with some crackers or crusty bread.  I am also heading back to work full time, and soup is a fabulous make-ahead kind of meal that works well for the end of a busy day.  Today I made up a pot of a personal favorite, white bean and porcini.  This is a “make out of your pantry” kind of soup, and it freezes well.

It is easy to double the recipe if you want a big batch, and if you go with the vegetable stock option this is a vegan recipe.  Serve with a salad, and you have a fast and healthy meal.

White Bean and Porcini Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small white onion, chopped
2 quarts good-quality vegetable stock
2 large carrots, cleaned and sliced into rounds
2 15-ounce cans Cannellini or White Kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated in two cups of warm water
pinch of crushed red pepper
salt and snipped fresh rosemary, to taste

In a 5-quart pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion in the oil until it softens.  Add the stock and carrots and bring to a low boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for fifteen minutes, or until the carrots are soft.  Add in the beans and the mushrooms, plus the strained soaking liquid (run the soaking liquid through a fine strainer lined with damp paper towels to remove the grit).  Simmer for another 10-15 minutes and stir in the red pepper, salt, and rosemary.  Serve in shallow bowls, drizzled with olive oil if desired.

Thanks for reading,

-Angela