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White Bean Porketta Soup

White Bean + Porketta Soup

I always like to use leftovers from a big meal to make soup. One of my absolute favourite things to do is make turkey and rice soup the day after Christmas or Thanksgiving, or pea soup with ham after Easter. I find it to be so incredibly nourishing and healthy, and is a perfect way to minimize food waste and use up leftovers (bones included).
This year we decided to go with roast porketta instead of ham. We actually need to “import” (my Mom brings it) this delicacy all the way from D&A Fine Meats in Sudbury, Ontario. But wow, is it good.
I had made porketta pea soup in the past so I decided to shake things up and use beans this time. The result was an amazing White Bean and Porketta Soup that kinda reminds me of the Campbell’s Bean with Bacon soup that I used to eat as a kid. I absolutely loved that soup, so I guess you could say that this a grown-up version of that.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Soak Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Canadian
Calories: 234
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb cooked porketta chopped
  • 2 cups white beans soaked
  • 7 cups chicken stock low or reduced sodium
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup shallots diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 cups carrots sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups spinach chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups celery sliced
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter divided
  • 3 tsp Kosher salt divided
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 cup tomato diced

Equipment

  • large pot or stock pot
  • wooden spoon
  • peeler
  • colander
  • measuring cups and spoons

Method
 

Mise en Place
  1. Assemble equipment. Peel and mince garlic, dice shallots and tomatoes, chop spinach, peel and slice carrots, wash and slice celery, measure and separate all ingredients.
Bring it Together
  1. Soak beans according to the directions provided on the package. For this recipe, I used a quick soaking method which called for the beans to be placed in a pot of boiling water (3 to 1 ratio) for 2-3 minutes, then covered and left to stand for 1 hour. You can also choose an overnight soaking method. Drain and rinse the beans before adding to the soup.
  2. Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large pot or stock pot over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook for approximately 2 minutes until fragrant and tender. Add raw vegetables (minus the spinach) to the pot, sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
  3. Return beans and diced porketta to the pot and add the stock and thyme sprigs. Bring the liquid to a light boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for an additional 60 to 75 minutes until the beans are tender. With approximately 10 minutes remaining, add the spinach to the pot.
  4. Add remaining 2 tbsp of butter, smoked paprika, remaining salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Carefully remove thyme sprigs.
  5. Separate into individual bowls and add approximately 1 tsp of diced tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.

Notes

  • You can easily replace the porketta used in this recipe with ham, roasted pork, or bacon. Or, leave it out altogether to create a tasty vegetarian option.