By Whitney Donohue

Moapa Valley Progress

The cooler weather has really jump-started my craving for soup! Soup is one of those meals that I love, but just doesn’t seem quite appropriate for hot summer days.

One of the things I love about soup is that it is easy to change based on what you have. In a soup, vegetables are the easiest thing to change out. Don’t have carrots? Use parsnips instead. Don’t have onions? Throw in a couple of shallots. Dried herbs can be substituted for fresh herbs. Necessity is the mother of invention. Not so secret here – I do this all the time. I shop in my pantry a lot, so I often don’t have exactly what a recipe calls for.

This particular recipe comes pretty much right from my pantry. Almost everything called for is standard fare in my house. Even the herbs – I often get them in add-on packs from Bountiful Baskets, and I dry them for future use (or use them fresh). If your pantry looks like mine, you’re set.

Roasted Garlic

White Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 2 cans of white beans

• 2 T olive oil, plus some for brushing garlic

• 12 cloves garlic, approximately 1 bulb or head of garlic

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 3 carrots, chopped

• 2 medium potatoes, chopped

• 1 large sprig rosemary, chopped

• 1 T chopped fresh thyme

• 5 cups water or broth

• salt, to taste

• parsley and red pepper flakes, to garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Cook the beans if using dried.

2. Break apart (but don’t peel) the garlic. Brush with olive oil and roast in an oven or over a stove until black. Remove cloves from the skins, and set aside.

3. Combine onion, carrots, potatoes, rosemary, thyme, water and cooked beans in a large pot. Bring to boil, and cook for about 20 minutes.

4. Add cooked beans, and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

5. Remove soup from heat. Using a standard blender or an immersion blender, puree 2/3 of your soup along with the garlic cloves.

6. Combine blended portion with chunky portion and salt to taste.

7. Garnish with parsley and red pepper, if desired, and serve.

This soup freezes beautifully. Make a huge batch, and freeze the leftovers for dinner on one of those crazy days we all seem to have.