Creamy Roasted Garlic and White Bean Soup

Creamy Roasted Garlic and White Bean Soup

If you are a garlic lover, this is the soup for you! I once had a roasted garlic soup on a cruise that still remains one of the most heavenly foods I have ever eaten. My guess is it was loaded with cream so I have been trying to come up with a healthy, dairy-free alternative. This comes pretty close. This recipe was inspired by the White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz of Post Punk Kitchen fame.

Makes 4 servings.

• 2 14oz cans of great northern (white) beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 large sweet white onion
• 3 heads of garlic
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 bay leaf
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste
• 1/4 cup coconut milk, optional (provides additional creaminess)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley for serving, optional
• Crusty bread for serving, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is preheating, break up the heads of garlic into individual cloves with their paper skins still on. Arrange in the middle of a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Top with the sprigs of thyme and fold into a sealed packet. Once the oven has preheated, place the packet on a baking sheet in the oven and allow to bake for 45 minutes. Once the garlic is done roasting, remove the packet from the oven, open, and allow to cool.

While the garlic is cooling, in a stockpot, saute the onions, sage, and fennel seeds in the remaining olive oil over medium high heat until the onions become translucent, approximately 5-7 minutes. Add the broth, beans, and bay leaf, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to allow for a gentle simmer as you squeeze each clove of garlic, removing it from its skin. Remove the bay leaf and add the coconut milk. Puree in batches in a blender or food processor, or in the pot with a hand (immersion) blender, until smooth. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately topped with a sprinkling of parsley and a side of crusty bread.

Cook’s Tip: Fennel seeds are available in the spice section of most supermarkets.

Cook’s Tip: Coconut milk, usually found in a can in the Asian food section of most supermarkets, can be frozen and used at a later date if you have extra. In this recipe, the quantity adds creaminess without a coconut flavor.