Oniony Brothy Beans

by Susan Hanna

This delicious vegetarian soup from Bon Appetit gets its savoury flavour from onions, garlic and thyme, its heartiness from cannellini beans and its tang from vinegar. Serve with crusty bread to sop up all the delicious broth. Cook’s note: If you can’t find frozen pearl onions, buy them fresh, blanch in boiling water for two minutes and remove the skins.

Serves 4-6

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use an additive-free stock, such as Imagine Organic. I use Marukan rice vinegar and Ace Bakery bread. For more recipes using all-natural ingredients, visit Eye For a Recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
• 2 large white onions, cut through root ends into 1″ (2.54 cm) -thick wedges
• 1 Tbsp. (15 ml) kosher salt
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp. (5 ml) freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ tsp. (7.25 ml) thyme leaves, plus more for serving
• 4 cups (1 L) low-sodium vegetable broth
• ¾ cup (187.5 ml) seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 15-oz. (443 ml) cans cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed
• 8 oz. (227 g) frozen white pearl onions (about 1½ cups)
• 1 Tbsp. (15 ml) distilled white vinegar
• Slices of crusty country-style bread, toasted (for serving)

Preparation:

1. Heat 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Add 2 large white onions, cut through root ends into 1″ (2.54 cm) -thick wedges, sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. (15 ml) kosher salt, and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown underneath, about 5 minutes. Turn onions over and cook until golden brown on other side, about 5 minutes.
2. Add garlic cloves, thinly sliced, freshly ground black pepper and thyme leaves to pot; stir to combine. Pour in low-sodium vegetable broth and seasoned rice vinegar and bring to a simmer, stirring and scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon. Stir in cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed, frozen white pearl onions, distilled white vinegar and 2 cups (500 ml) water. Return to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until beans, white onions, and pearl onions are very tender and flavors have melded, 35–40 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.
3. Ladle beans into bowls; top with more thyme. Serve with slices of crusty country-style bread, toasted for dipping. .
4. Do Ahead: Beans can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.

From Bon Appetit