Description
This creamy fennel and white bean soup is a comforting and flavorful dish, perfect for a cozy meal. Made with tender fennel, aromatic herbs, and hearty cannellini beans, it offers a smooth, velvety texture enhanced by fragrant fennel seeds and fresh rosemary. Easy to prepare in under 30 minutes, this soup is ideal for a nutritious lunch or dinner and can be garnished with croutons, crispy bacon, or roasted pumpkin seeds for extra crunch.
Ingredients
Soup Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and diced
- 5 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 5 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 45 ounces canned white cannellini beans (3 cans), drained and rinsed, divided
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- Sea salt, to taste
Optional Garnishes
- Croutons
- Crumbled bacon
- Roasted pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Sauté Vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and fennel, cooking for about 9 minutes until softened and golden brown. Then, add the minced garlic and sauté for an additional minute to release its aroma.
- Add Stock and Beans: Pour in the chicken or vegetable stock along with about two-thirds of the rinsed cannellini beans. Add the fennel seeds, dried thyme, and the fresh rosemary sprig. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Simmer Soup: Once boiling, cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the soup simmer gently for around 20 minutes to allow flavors to meld and vegetables to soften further.
- Remove Rosemary: After simmering, carefully remove and discard the rosemary sprig from the pot.
- Blend Soup: Using an immersion blender, blend the soup directly in the pot until it achieves a fairly smooth and creamy consistency. Alternatively, transfer the soup in batches to a regular blender if an immersion blender is not available.
- Finish Soup: Return the blended soup to the pot if needed, add the remaining one-third of the cannellini beans and salt to taste. Cook for another 5 minutes over medium heat until the soup is heated through.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with croutons, crumbled bacon, or roasted pumpkin seeds as desired for added texture and flavor.
Notes
- For a vegetarian or vegan version, use vegetable stock and omit bacon garnish.
- If you prefer a chunkier texture, blend only half the soup and leave the rest as is.
- Fennel seeds add a distinctive anise flavor; adjust the amount to your taste.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat gently on the stovetop to prevent splitting.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
