Creamy White Bean Soup with Escarole

White beans have a cooling energy in the body and have been clinically proven to help reduce cholesterol and blood pressure making them a heart-healthy powerhouse. Swirling the soup through with hearty leafy green prevents the soup from being too heavy; they add a light, fresh vitality, lots of calcium and iron.

Makes 3-4 servings

Ingredient List:

• 1 bay leaf
• ½ cup dried cannellini beans sorted, rinsed 
• 3-4 cups spring or filtered water
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• Sea salt
• 1-2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 2 parsnips, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon sweet white miso
• 1 cup finely diced escarole

Step By Step Instructions:

Place bay leaf in a soup pot. Place beans on top. Add water bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat. Boil 5 minutes. Cover; reduce heat to low simmer until soft, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, place oil and onion in a skillet over medium heat. When the onion begins to sizzle, add a pinch of salt and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and another pinch of salt; sauté 1 to 2 minutes. Add parsnips and another pinch of salt; sauté, stirring occasionally, until shiny with oil.

Transfer beans and remaining cooking liquid to a food processor fitted with the metal blade; puree until smooth. (A food mill doesn’t work well here for creaminess.) Return beans to the pot over low heat. Add a small amount of water if the bean mixture is too thick or you prefer a lighter soup. Remove a small amount of soup liquid use to dissolve miso. Stir miso mixture, sautéed vegetables and escarole into the pot; simmer 3 to 4 minutes to activate enzymes in miso. Serve hot.