Butterbean and Green Bean Soup
Butterbeans are a tender, smaller variety of lima beans. I always keep a can of Eden butterbeans at home to throw into soups or stews. They’ve light, flavorful and cute! Paired with green beans and peas here, they’re perfecto. This is nice transitional recipe so good for fall when it’s either glorious and sunny, or just the opposite rainy and cold.
Butterbeans, like all legumes, have soluble fiber, which helps heart and digestion, but also helps stabilize blood sugar levels. They’re good for us, easy to grow and good for our planet too. So bring back and bring on the beans!
Serves 4
| ¼ C extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) | 1 bay leaf |
| 2 onions, about 4 C, chopped | 1 tsp black pepper |
| 6 cloves garlic, minced | 1 can Eden butterbeans, about 2 C cooked |
| 4 C water or vegetable or chicken broth | 6 C fresh green beans, ends trimmed, cut into 1” pieces |
| 1 tsp dried thyme or ½ tsp fresh | 2 C green peas |
| 1 tsp dried marjoram leaves, or ½ tsp fresh | about ½ C grated Parmesan or Romano |
| 2 tsp sea salt |
Gently warm EVOO in a large soup pot over medium heat. Sauté onions and garlic until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add water or broth together with herbs and butter beans. Bring soup to a boil, lower heat, cover pot, and simmer 15 minutes.
Add string beans and peas to pot. Simmer five minutes more. Taste, adjust seasoning and serve with cheese sprinkled on top. Or serve with no cheese sprinkled on top and a little extra black pepper.
Can you add more butter beans, another kind of bean, add chopped greens like kale, or sausage (real or veggie)? Yes, yes, yes.