Creamy White Bean Soup with Carrots (Potage Soissonnais)
Creamy white beans, gently softened onion and small carrot dice make this French soup satisfying without a splash of cream. Cook the beans until their centers crush easily before blending, because a blender cannot fix undercooked beans. The finished potage should flow from a ladle in a thick, smooth ribbon, with tender orange pieces scattered through the pale base.
Ingrédients
- 14 oz dried white beans soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot peeled and left whole
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 6 cups unsalted or low-sodium chicken broth plus more if needed to cover beans
- Up to 2 cups hot water as needed during cooking and blending
- 1/2 tsp fine salt if using unsalted broth then to taste
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper then to taste
- Heavy cream optional, for serving
Instructions
- Soak beans in plenty of cold water for 8 to 12 hours, preferably refrigerated. Discard soaking water, drain and rinse. Chop the onion and peel the carrot.
- Melt butter in a heavy pot over medium-low heat. Sweat onion for 5 to 7 minutes without browning.
- Add beans, broth and whole carrot. Cover beans with liquid by about 1/2 inch. Bring to a full boil for at least 10 minutes, or longer if the package requires. Skim, then partly cover and simmer until beans are very tender, usually another 60 to 90 minutes or longer. Add hot water to keep beans covered.
- Remove carrot after about 25 to 35 minutes of cooking, once tender enough to cut. Cool slightly and cut into 1/8-inch dice. Reserve.
- When beans crush into a creamy paste, turn off heat and blend beans, onion and broth until smooth. Thin gradually with hot water as needed.
- Fold in carrot dice. Warm gently for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring. Adjust salt and pepper and serve hot with optional cream.
Vidéo
Notes
Soak beans overnight in addition to the listed prep time. Bean age and size can lengthen cooking. Calorie calculation excludes optional cream and bread. Refrigerate promptly and use within 3 to 4 days. Canned-bean and dairy-free options are explained above.