Tuscan Tomato-White Bean Soup
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, smashed
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 pounds tomatoes, chopped
- 2 15 -ounce cans no-salt-added white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 quart low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 sprig rosemary, plus 1 teaspoon chopped leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for sprinkling
- 4 cups cubed ciabatta bread (about 4 ounces)
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 ounces)
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, 3 garlic cloves and a pinch of salt.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute.
- Add all but 1/2 cup of the chopped tomatoes, the beans, broth, 1 cup water, the rosemary sprig, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium and simmer 20 minutes.
- Discard the rosemary sprig.
- Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth.
- Season with salt.
- Return to the pot and cover to keep warm.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 garlic cloves in a small skillet over medium heat.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 5 minutes.
- Toss with the bread, chopped rosemary, mozzarella and a pinch each of salt and red pepper flakes on a baking sheet.
- Bake, stirring occasionally, until the croutons are golden, 10 minutes.
- Top each bowl of soup with the croutons and the reserved 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes; drizzle with olive oil.
- Photograph by Charles Masters
extravirgin olive oil, onion, garlic, kosher salt, tomato paste, tomatoes, salt, vegetable, rosemary, red pepper, bread, mozzarella cheese
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/tuscan-tomato-white-bean-soup.html (may not work)