Vegetarian White Bean Soup

* Beans, navy, 1 cup
* Butter, unsalted, .25 cup
* 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
* 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
* 1 large carrot, finely chopped
* 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
* 1 can (1lb, 500 grams) plum tomatoes w/juice
* Thyme, ground, 1 tsp
* Granulated Sugar, 1 tsp
* 1 tsp dried summer savory
*1 Bay Leaf
* Vegetable Broth, 5 cup

Pick over the beans, discarding any misshappen beans or impurities. Put the beans in a bowl, add cold water to cover, and let soak for 4-12 hours.

In a large saucepan, warm the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery. Saute until the onion is translucent, 2-3 minutes. Drain the beans and add them to the pan along with the stock, tomatoes and juice, savory, thyme, sugar and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally to break up the tomatoes, until the beans are very tender, 2-21/2 hours. Discard the bay leaf.

Puree about half the soup in a blender. Stir the puree back into the pan, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into warmed bowls and garnish with parsley.

Number of Servings: 8

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user LMWST36.