Cannellini Bean and Onion Soup

Cannellini bean and onion soup is a tasty soup that is perfect for a cold Spring day. It is warming and filling, ideal for lunch.

It looks like Spring is finally here. The mornings are getting much lighter. When I take the dog out in the morning I see the sun rising and no longer have to find my way along muddy paths in the dark.

Spring flowers are starting to appear, I have seen crocuses pushing their way out of the earth and daffodils. Even the birds are active and starting to investigate places to nest. My dog is determined they are not going to enter the garden and spends his time patrolling the outskirts, barking if any dare to land in the tree. Whilst it looks warm outside, it is still cold. The mornings have been frosty and a freezing wind catches you when you go out.

It is days like this that soup comes into its own. Served at lunchtime it fills you up and provides a welcoming warmth that keeps you going for the rest of the day. Keeping the chill at bay and making you feel that Spring is really here as you look at the sun out of the window.

Everyone loves onion soup. Usually it is served in the French way with toasted bread and cheese on top. Recently I have been experimenting with different beans and pulses. Cannellini beans are one of my new favourites, with a soft buttery taste they are perfect for adding to all sorts of dishes. Hence cannellini bean and onion soup was born. It sounds boring but the creamy taste of the beans works really well with the sweet onion flavour.

Even better it can be cooked in the slow cooker, the only effort involved is chopping up the ingredients. Once this is done you just leave the slow cooker to work magic and come back a few hours later to a lovely steaming hot bowl of soup. I have to admit that I love my slow cooker on cold days, it is lovely to come home from work and have a meal ready to eat. There is something about the cold that just makes you want to get into the warm and have dinner quickly.

You could use dried beans instead of tinned beans but they would need to be boiled before putting in the slow cooker to ensure they were not hard. It is much easier to use a tin of beans. These do not need to be soaked overnight either. Using the beans in the soup makes it more filling which keeps you from craving chocolate mid-afternoon.

Slow cookers are also perfect for making soup as I discovered when I made ham and pea soup. This used up split peas that were in my cupboard and it was a great way to use them.

Cannellini bean and onion soup recipe

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Cannellini bean and onion soup

Author: Alison

Ingredients

• 2 large onions
• 2 back bacon rashers
• 1 potato
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ tsp cumin
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 400 g tin cannellini beans
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Peel and chop the onions, potato and garlic into small pieces.
2. Add to a slow cooker with the cumin and beans
3. Pour in the hot chicken stock and stir
4. Cook on high for 3 - 4 hours
5. Season with salt and pepper

Recipe Notes

If you prefer a smooth soup you can blend it

Do you have any great slow cooker soup recipes? I would love to know about them.