Tuscan Chicken and White Bean Soup
Tuscan Chicken and White Bean Soup
Author: The Blue Jean Chef, Meredith Laurence
Serves: 6 to 8
This is one of my favorite soups. It's hearty, delicious and easy to make. It will warm AND fill you up!
Ingredients
- 4 ounces pancetta (or bacon if you can’t find pancetta)
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes
- 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
- 2 (14-ounce) cans white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 ciabatta rolls or 1 ciabatta baguette, sliced
- olive oil
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach, cleaned
- 1 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- block of Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Place pancetta in a large stockpot and cook until some of the fat has been rendered out – about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon and set it aside.
- Add the onion to the stockpot and cook until the onion starts to soften – about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, basil, rosemary and tomato paste, stir to blend well, and cook for another minute or two. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, shredded chicken and beans to the pot and stir well.
- Simmer the soup for 30 minutes. While the soup is simmering, pre-heat a skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and toast the cut side of the ciabatta rolls or slices in the skillet until nicely browned.
- Remove the soup from heat and stir in the spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the soup with some of the cooked pancetta sprinkled on top, some shards of Parmesan cheese (made by peeling the cheese with a potato peeler) and the toasted ciabatta bread.
