I haven’t posted a soup recipe for ages! I’m almost glad summer is over so I can start making my favourite type of lunch again! I actually created this soup over a month ago for my friend Lucy’s blog - Craftberry Bush (take a look, she makes the most beautiful creations). She’s happy for me to share the recipes I write for her site with you guys too, so you don’t miss out. One of the reasons I love soup recipes so much is the way they bring a warmth and comfort that takes me back to my childhood. My dad used to (and still does!) make an amazing corned beef soup, I remember watching in sceptical amazement as he poured vinegar from a jar of pickled beetroot into the bubbling pan before serving up the soup with slices of beetroot on top. Sounds strange, but tastes amazing! My mum on the other hand, makes the best chicken and vegetable soup. She’ll boil up the chicken bones for hours until the stock is so flavoursome you could drink it by itself. I craved it so much when I was pregnant I even sent my husband Chris out for chicken in the middle of the night so I could have a bowl ready for breakfast! and in fact I got to enjoy a large bowl of it last week when I was home for the weekend - it was still as amazing as I remember. I still make both of those soups today, but now I also love to make soups with lentils, veggies or beans. I’d never even touched a lentil before having my first child, but then I started making baby purees with lentils in and I realised what I’d been missing out on!
This soup is made from dried haricot (navy) beans. You need to soak them overnight in cold water before using them in this recipe. They’re then boiled up with onions, garlic and stock before being pureed. I actually quite like them at this point, but adding some parmesan and lemon juice and then topping with a little pesto really takes the soup to a whole new level.
Creamy and satisfying with a lovely basil kick from the pesto, this soup will certainly keep you going until dinner. Don’t forget the black pepper too!
The White bean soup with parmesan and pesto Recipe:
