Recipe road test: Three bean soup

This week’s recipe is for three bean soup, once again from Olive magazine’s 30 Low-Fat Recipes booklet, free with the February 2008 issue.

This doubles as an entry for the Well-Seasoned Cook’s My Legume Love Affair challenge.

Three bean soup

20 minutes * EASY

chicken or vegetable stock, 500ml

broad beans 2 handfuls, fresh or frozen

green beans 2 handfuls, trimmed and chopped into lengths

cannellini beans 400g tin, drained and rinsed well

basil a handful of leaves, roughly chopped

parmesan grated to make 2 tbsp

- Heat the stock in a saucepan until simmering, add the broad beans and green beans and cook for 2 minutes, add the cannellini beans and cook for a further 2 minutes. Season.

- Stir in the basil and parmesan.

Serves 2.

PER SERVING: 227 kcals, protein 18.7g, carbohydrate 28.4g, fat 5.2g, saturated fat 1.9g, fibre 10.8g, salt 2.31g.

Road test

A note on ingredients: I used Jürgen Langbein vegetable stock, Waitrose cannellini beans, and Waitrose parmigiano reggiano.

Method: This was exceptionally easy and quick – if anything, it probably took closer to 15 than 20 minutes.

Results: Simple and tasty, though not amazing.

Verdict

This was not very exciting but I might make this again, because it is so simple and most of the ingredients live in the store cupboard. It is also very wholesome and genuinely low fat. It is intended as a starter but it does satisfy as a main with some toast as an accompaniment, or perhaps a salad or a dessert.

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