Bean Soup With Salad Salsa

Total Time: 4 hrs 55 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 4 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 1/2 cups dried kidney beans or 1 1/2 cups navy beans
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• 8 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
• 1 large potato, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup small pasta or 1/2 cup rice or 1/2 cup couscous
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• salt
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh arugula or 1/2 cup watercress
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or 2 tablespoons green onions
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• salt

Recipe

• 1 cover beans with water and soak for 3 hours or overnight in fridge.
• 2 rinse and drain well.
• 3 heat oil in large pot.
• 4 add garlic, onions and hot pepper flakes and cook for a few minutes without browning.
• 5 add beans and stock.
• 6 bring to boil.
• 7 lower heat and simmer gently, covered for 1 hour or until beans are tender.
• 8 add potato and cook for 10 minutes or until tender.
• 9 puree soup in blender or food processor in small batches.
• 10 return to saucepan and thin with additional stock or water until soup reaches desired consistency.
• 11 add pasta or rice and cook for 10 min.
• 12 add salt& pepper.
• 13 pasta or rice with thicken soup slightly, so thin soup again if you wish.
• 14 taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
• 15 combine all salsa ingredients.
• 16 serve soup in flat bowls with large spoonful of salsa in centre.