Orange-Thyme Bean Soup

This fragrant Orange-Thyme Bean Soup marries bright citrus with herby thyme and creamy cannellini beans for a vegan meal you’ll want on repeat.

Only a few ingredients and about 45 minutes stand between you and this fragrant bean soup with orange and thyme.

Orange and thyme are one of my favorite flavor duos. They play off each other so well to create a balanced, sweet, citrusy, earthy flavor. It pairs so perfectly with creamy beans, hearty kale, and crushed red pepper for a little kick.

How to make this Orange-Thyme Bean Soup

What you need

• Aromatics: You’ll use onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and thyme as the aromatic base of the soup. I use tomato paste to add an even deeper savory flavor to the soup.
• Citrus: I use a simple navel orange, but you could make this with lemon instead. For this soup, I peel off two large strips of the peel and use the juice to flavor the soup.
• Beans: Cannellini beans are so creamy and perfect for this soup, but try it with any white bean, such as Great Northern or navy.
• Vegan stock: I use Zoup’s No Chicken Base, but your favorite vegan stock will work here. You can also use water and just increase the salt in the soup.
• Kale: I use lacinato kale, but you can make it with curly kale or even baby spinach.
• Finishing touches: I finish with freshly minced parsley to give the soup a little herby brightness.

How to make it

• Step 1: Sauté the aromatics, starting with the onion and then layering in the bell pepper and garlic. Add tomato paste and cook until it deepens in color.
• Step 2: Add the beans, stock, orange juice, orange peel, and thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Step 3: Discard the orange peel and thyme sprigs. Finish the soup with chopped kale and parsley.

That’s it! It couldn’t be any easier and delivers so much flavor for such a simple recipe. It’s perfect as a light lunch or served with crusty bread for a heartier dinner.

Orange-Thyme Bean Soup

This fragrant Orange-Thyme Bean Soup marries bright citrus with herby thyme and creamy cannellini beans for a vegan meal you'll want on repeat.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 297kcal

Equipment

• Large pot
• Vegetable peeler

Ingredients

• 1 navel orange
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion (peeled and diced)
• 1 red bell pepper (trimmed, seeded, and diced)
• 3 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (more or less to taste)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans (drained)
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 4 sprigs thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
• 1 bunch lacinato kale (stemmed and roughly chopped; yielding 4 to 5 ounces chopped kale)
• ½ cup Italian parsley (loosely packed and minced; a pinch reserved for garnish)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Prepare the orange:

• Use a vegetable peeler to peel off two strips of rind from the orange, about 1 inch wide by 3 inches long. Halve the orange and juice it into a bowl. You should have 2 to 3 ounces of orange juice.

Sauté the aromatics:

• Heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the diced bell pepper and sauté for 3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper.

Brown the tomato paste:

• Add the minced garlic and tomato paste. Stir to coat the vegetables in the paste and cook for 1 minute until the paste deepens in color.

Simmer the soup:

• Add beans and 4 cups of vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Add the orange juice, the orange peels, and the thyme sprigs. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes. After simmering, taste and season with salt and pepper. Discard the thyme sprigs and orange peels.

Cook the kale:

• Add the chopped kale and minced parsley to the soup and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Taste and season.

To serve:

• Spoon the soup into bowls and garnish with the reserved parsley. Serve with crusty bread on the side. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 6g | Sodium: 622mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin C: 137mg

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