White Bean Vegetable Soup

White Bean Vegetable Soup

Beans are the cornerstone of every centenarian diet and are a versatile addition to many dishes. Ikarians and Sardinians often add beans to soups and salads, while Nicoyans eat black beans with rice and corn tortillas almost every day.

This recipe comes to you from Akiko Sasaki at Peaceful Plates.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cooked navy beans (or canned)
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 medium sized carrot, chopped
  • 2 medium leaves of kale
  • 1tsp fresh rosemary
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 1 tsp shoyu

Directions:

  1. Pour olive oil in a dutch oven pot on medium heat. Saute the onions, mixing until the onion is translucent. Add a pinch of salt, mix, then turn down heat to low. Let the onions simmer on low for about 15 minutes.
  2. Add carrots, cooked navy beans, and add enough additional water to cover the beans.
  3. Turn the heat up to medium to bring water to a simmer. And then back down to low heat to cover and let it cook for another 10 minutes.
  4. Chop kale stems and leaves. Mix in rosemary, sea salt, and chopped kale to the pot.
  5. Cook until kale leaves soften and brighten in color.
  6. Add a splash of shoyu (approx. 1 tsp.) to taste.
  7. Serve and enjoy.

Dan Buettner

Dan Buettner is an explorer, National Geographic Fellow, award-winning journalist and producer, and a New York Times bestselling author. He discovered the five places in the world—dubbed Blue Zones—where people live the longest, healthiest lives. His articles about these places in The New York Times Magazine and National Geographic are two of the most popular for both publications.