Recipes › Garlic › Roasted Garlic and White Bean Soup
Roasted Garlic and White Bean Soup
Two whole heads of garlic are slow-roasted until they collapse into sweet, caramelised paste, then blended with creamy cannellini beans and good stock into a velvety soup that is rich without being heavy. This is the recipe to make when you have a glut of fresh June garlic — the flavour is completely different from raw or fried, genuinely nutty and mellow. It comes together with very little effort and tastes like you spent all day on it.
Garlic is usually ready June to July. More garlic recipes, or see what to sow this month where you are.
Ingredients
- 3 Garlic, tops sliced off to expose the cloves
- 4 tbsp Olive oil
- 800 g Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (2 x 400g tins)or butter beans
- 1 Onion, roughly chopped
- 1000 ml Vegetable stockor chicken stock if not keeping vegan
- 4 Fresh thyme, sprigs
- 1 Lemon, juice only
- 1 tsp Flaky sea salt
- 1 tsp Black pepper, freshly ground
- 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil (optional)
- 10 g Fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
Contains: celery.
Method
- Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Place the three garlic heads cut-side up in a small baking dish, drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over them, season with a little salt, then cover tightly with foil.About 5 min
- Roast the garlic for 45 minutes until the cloves are completely soft and golden. You should be able to pierce them easily with a knife tip. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes.About 45 min
- While the garlic is in its final 15 minutes of roasting, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion and thyme sprigs and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.About 10 min
- Squeeze all the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins directly into the saucepan with the softened onion — they should slip out easily when you press from the root end. Discard the skins and the thyme sprigs.
- Add the drained cannellini beans and pour in the vegetable stock. Stir everything together, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for 10 minutes to let the flavours come together.About 10 min
- Remove from the heat and blend until completely smooth using a stick blender, or transfer in batches to a countertop blender. Add the lemon juice, taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper.About 3 min
- Ladle into warmed bowls. If using, finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a scattering of chopped parsley.
Tips
- Fresh June garlic — the kind you just dug up — has more moisture and a slightly sweeter flavour than dried bulbs. It roasts in the same time but the paste is looser, which is a good thing here.
- If the soup feels too thick after blending, let it down with a splash more stock or water until it reaches the consistency you want.
- The roasted garlic paste you squeeze out freezes brilliantly on its own — roast a few extra heads while the oven is on and freeze in an ice cube tray.
Ring the changes
- Stir in 100ml of oat cream or coconut cream at the end for a richer, slightly sweeter soup.
- Add a pinch of smoked paprika to the onions for a subtly smoky depth.
Keeping it
Cool completely, then refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the hob, adding a splash of water or stock if it has thickened. Freezes well for up to 3 months.
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