Simple, easy things are best especially if going through cancer treatment. During treatment, cook and freeze lima beans to use to make deliciously easy soups like this one. Large lima beans are known as ‘gigantes’... or butter beans. They have a soft and creamy yet meaty texture. They add heft and creaminess to vegan dishes like this Leek & Lima Bean Soup. Once the beans are available, this thick nourishing soup is a snap to make. The soup is finished with an exotic tasting tangy blend of lemon, parsley and cumin that lifts its subtle flavor to perfection. It’s really good.
Place the soaked beans in a heavy pot. Cover with water by ½-inch. Add the garlic and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Spoon off the foam that forms on the surface then drizzle the beans with a little olive oil. Turn down the heat to low and cover. Simmer until the beans are just soft, about 30 to 40 minutes depending on the size and age of the beans. Set aside to cool. Discard the bay leaf.
Add the diced tomatoes and cook until the tomato starts to disintegrate, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the beans and their broth plus 1 cup of water. If you prefer a thinner soup, add more water. Mix well and cook until the beans can be easily mashed against the sides of the pan.
Serve with Homemade Croutons, and with wedges of lemon on the side to squeeze into the soup to taste.
Chef Tips
The beans can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen.
Canned white beans, cannellini or navy are other options to make this soup. Drain and rinse them well, then in step 2, add them to the leeks and tomatoes with water or stock to cover + 3 smashed and peeled whole cloves of garlic.
Big lima beans have a chunky texture for soups like this. But for smoother soups , baby lima beans or canned beans will do just fine. Blend the soup then sprinkle the individual bowls with the spice/herb mix instead of stirring it in family style. Drizzle with a little olive oil.
Peel the tomatoes with a sharp peeler, or drop them into boiling water for a minute, spear them with a fork, and quickly pull the skins off starting from where the fork breaks them.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
Reviews & Comments
No reviews yet.
Leave a Review or Comment