Smoky Tomato White Bean Soup made with dry beans in an instant pot or on the stovetop. Vegan and gluten-free.

Units Scale

1 lb dry white beans, soaked 8-12 hours ( 2 cups dry) or sub 3 x 14-ounce cans, drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, rough chopped
1 1/2 cup carrots, chopped
2 cups celery chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
1/4 cup white wine (or skip it)
14 ounce can diced tomatoes, with juices (or 1 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped)
1 cup roasted bell pepper, chopped (from a jar is OK or use a fresh bell pepper)
6 cups veggie broth or chicken stock ( or sub water and 2 teaspoons veggie bullion)
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon lemon juice or AC vinegar

Garnish: Harissa Oil or olive oil, fresh flat-leaf parsley, crusty bread.

Optional Harissa Oil:

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Soak the cannellini beans in 3 times the water for 8-12 hours.
Set Instant Pot to Saute function. (See notes for stovetop version)
Heat oil and saute onions 5 minutes. Add garlic, stir for 2 minutes.
Add carrots, celery and thyme, give a good stir. Deglaze with wine and scrape up any brown bits.
Add tomatoes, roasted peppers, drained white beans, broth or stock, salt, smoked paprika, cumin, pepper, cayenne and bay leaves. Give a good stir.
Set the Instant pot to High Pressure for 12 minutes.( If using canned beans, pressure cook 6 minutes.)
Manually Release after 5 minutes.
Stir in the lemon juice.

Serve with a drizzle of Harissa Oil, or a drizzle of olive oil, fresh flat-leaf parsley, pepper and crusty bread. This Roasted Garlic Olive bread is especially nice here.

Optional Harissa oil: whisk 1 tablespoon Harissa paste with 3 tablespoons olive oil in a small bowl.

Meat-eaters- add a 1/4 cup Spanish-style chorizo ( finely chopped) to add smoky flavor.

3 x 14-ounce cans of white beans is roughly 4 1/2 cups of cooked white beans.

Stovetop Version:

Heat oil over medium-high heat, in a dutch oven, and saute onions 5 minutes. Lower heat to medium, add garlic, stir for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
Add carrots, celery and thyme, give a good stir, cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze with wine and scrape up any brown bits.
Add tomatoes and their juices, roasted peppers, broth or stock, soaked beans, salt, smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, pepper and bay leaves. Give a good stir.
Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer gently on low or medium-low until the beans are tender roughly 20 -25 minutes (depending on what size beans you use). Uncover and cook off some of the liquid if need be.
Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings.