Hearty White Bean Puttanesca Soup

Soup is SO hot right now.

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Season: Winter
Dosha: Kapha, Vata

Soup is SO HOT RIGHT NOW. Especially this Hearty White Bean Puttanesca Soup, because you just might have all  ingredients in your pantry/fridge/freezer already! 

I lived in Japan for nearly 5 years and brought quite a few things with me when I left. An undying love for onigiri and matcha-flavored crispy milk ice cream sandwiches to name a few. But also a deep appreciation for the New Year tradition of Oosouji – or the Big Cleaning.

The Japanese believe that carrying unresolved baggage – whether it be actual clutter, unfinished business or damaging thoughts – into the New Year is unlucky. And so, they tidy their homes inside and out, and in doing so prepare themselves physically + spiritually for the year to come.

 

There’s nothing I love so much as a clean house, and I’m quite fastidious around here no matter the time of year. But, I pay special attention to clearing my clutter out, sorting, organizing, donating, selling, or pitching what no longer serves me. And it all starts in the fridge/freezer/pantry.

This is a particularly potent practice for a few reasons; for one, it keeps me from going to the grocery store after making myriad trips during the holidays. It also ensures that good products I spend good money on don’t go to waste. And, it helps set me in a pattern of cooking for the year. Buying only what I need, using what I have. Instead of picking recipes that intrigue me, I allow the ingredients I have on hand to be my guide. And that was how this hearty little puttanesca soup came to be.

I had a few potatoes, a couple stray jars of olives and capers in the fridge. I also had a batch of Saved Tomatoes (published to this Patreon group in September – check out the recipe in this downloadable doc!!) in the freezer. And that was enough to get things started.

 

A few notes on ingredients here: feel free to substitute in ingredients you have that need using. Perhaps a carrot, parsnip or two instead of the potatoes. I made a batch of my favorite corona beans from Rancho Gordo because that’s what I had on hand, but if you have another variety of white beans (either dry or in a can,) absolutely plug them in here.

 

In the event that you don’t have 28oz of Saved Tomatoes on hand in your fridge, you can employ a 28oz can of diced tomatoes and the soup will be delicious.

 

One last thing for you InstantPot fans (hand raised!) this soup comes together very easily in yours and is a great reason to plug in dry beans instead of canned ones. The bean broth becomes the soup broth and it’s absolutely divine. Instructions for both the Instant Pot and the stovetop are below!

 

We’ve been enjoying it for lunches and post ride/ski as a recovery meal. It’s just the bright, clean kind of meal I want to eat right now to usher all the good, warm vibes into this New Year.

Here’s to a warm, hearty, abundant New Year wherever you are! 

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