A Can Of Beans Transforms Into A Cozy Greek-Style Soup With These Veggies And Pantry Staples

Do you often wish there was an easier way to enjoy time-intensive meals without spending all afternoon in the kitchen? Fortunately, if you've been craving a cozy bowl of soup and have a can of beans on-hand, you're well on your way to crafting a delicious recipe in no time. Sure enough, you can make a simplified version of fasolada or Greek bean soup with just canned beans and a few additional ingredients from your pantry and refrigerator. Truly, all you need to make a tasty pot of fasolada is celery, onion, and carrot from your fridge, plus canned beans, canned crushed tomatoes, broth, and seasonings from your pantry.

Truth be told, one of the simplest ways to make canned beans taste homemade is to combine them with a flavorful variety of different vegetables and spices. A quick and easy-to-assemble pot of fasolada is the perfect example. Usually, fasolada is made with pre-soaked, dried white beans that take at least minutes, if not hours, to simmer over the stove before softening. However, a quicker version is possible thanks to a few cans of pre-cooked white beans.

To try this simplified recipe for yourself, chop and saute veggies in a large pot and then add one to three cans of rinsed white beans like cannellini or navy. From here, add a can of crushed tomatoes and enough broth to cover your beans. Lastly, add a few of your favorite seasonings and simmer everything together for at least 15 minutes before serving.

For starters, if your goal is to make preparation even easier, buy a pre-chopped container of mirepoix or onion, celery, and carrot from your nearest grocery store. Also, if you don't have crushed tomatoes, leave them out. Similarly, if you don't have any chicken or vegetable broth on hand, you can also use water as an alternative base. Either way, for an extra rich and flavorful broth, consider blending or crushing some of the added beans with a potato masher before cooking them over your stove.

There are also plenty of extra ingredients you can add to your next bowl of fasolada for a delicious finishing touch. Especially when it comes to worthwhile ingredients that take canned beans up a notch, simple additions like olive oil and lemon juice do the trick. You can also add olives and feta cheese for even more flavor.

Besides getting creative with your choice of foods from the fridge and pantry, it's important to know the only tip you need to make great soup from canned beans: give the included ingredients enough time to meld together over your stove before serving. For an extra flavorful end result, allow your bean soup to simmer on low to medium heat closer to 30 minutes if you can. This guarantees you'll have perfectly softened beans and a rich, concentrated broth to enjoy come mealtime.