Vegetable Delight Soup with Lima Beans 5/5 (5)

HomeVegetable Delight Soup with Lima Beans

We just love those fresh evenings, when you can enjoy a beautiful hearty soup, giving you good nutrition and satisfaction.

This soups resembles an original minestrone soup, minus the meat and pasta. If Lima beans are not available to you, any other bean can be substituted for the Lima beans.

Try to plan ahead and use the dry beans rather than using the can where undesirable ingredients can be hidden.

Lima beans are otherwise known as butter beans; are quite smooth in flavour. Their skins can be removed after soaking if preferred. We didn’t in this recipe as you can see on the picture, and if you boil them long enough, the skin will soften too.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of dry Lima beans-soaked overnight
  • 2 Tbs cold pressed olive oil
  • 1 moderate onion (brown)
  • 1 large garlic clove
  • 2 carrots peeled and cubed
  • 1 stick of celery-cubed
  • 1 large zucchini-washed and cubed
  • 1 small sweet potato-peeled and cubed
  • 2 chicken stock cubes (Massell)
  • 1-2 L of water
  • 2 heaped tbs of plain tomato paste
  • 1 heaped tsp of mixed herbs
  • Himalayan salt and cracked pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Rinse the beans and cover with water in a small pot. Place on a bench to soak overnight. This will help to speed up the cooking time, as well as rid some harmful toxins than cause flatulence and bloating.
  2. In the morning, rinse the beans-never use the water from the soak as that water contains those toxins, so you want to get rid of it.
  3. Place on a hot plate/stove and cook on slow to medium heat until tender 1-2 hours. Once tender, drain and rinse, and store in fridge for a couple of days. I usually make double, then have them ready to add to soups and salads, as well as make patties when necessary.

Now the soup:

  1. Heat the oil in a large pot without burning.
  2. Add the finely chopped onion and crushed garlic.
  3. Season with cracked salt and pepper to help release the flavours.
  4. Once onion is becoming golden/translucent and is releasing that beautiful aroma, add the other veggies starting with the root ones as they take longer to cook, and finishing on the leafy light ones like celery.
  5. Stir occasionally, and let mix with olive oil and the onion mixture to “seal” the flavours. Be careful not to burn the oil or any vegetable during this process.
  6. After about 5-10 minutes of sizzling, add the water and stock cubes. There should be enough water to cover all vegetables and about half a finger length extra.
  7. Add the Lima beans (preferable the ones you have prepared earlier; if you have not had time to do this, you will have to use a can as they will take way too long to cook in the soup from scratch.)
  8. Simmer for about 15 minutes on low heat, then add the tomato paste and mixed herbs. Then simmer for another 15 minutes until all vegetables are beautifully soft and tender.
  9. Poor in a bowl and serve with some organic oat bread.
  10. Sprinkle with extra salt and cracked pepper to taste.

Enjoy.