This Creamy Mushroom, Spinach & White Bean Soup is more than just a soup; it’s an easy one-pot hearty vegetarian or vegan meal that’s nutritious, comforting and satisfying. Packed with plant-based protein and plenty of fibre, this tasty soup is a great choice all round.
It’s even more delicious served with a slice of toasted za’atar sourdough. This Middle Eastern herby mixture offers the perfect flavours alongside this soup.
In this recipe, I’ve used frozen spinach, which is a great ingredient to have in our freezer for convenience, but you can of course use fresh spinach if you prefer. If you’re buying frozen spinach, be aware of whether you’re choosing chopped or leaf spinach. In this recipe, either can be used
I’ve also used a little butter as well as olive oil as this gives it a delicious deeper flavour, but it’s an easy one to leave out for a vegan version.
To make this healthy Mushroom, Spinach & White Bean Soup, you’ll need:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter (V optional)
- 1 large (or 2 small) onion, finely sliced
- 4 large cloves garlic, finely sliced
- 250-300g chestnut mushrooms, cut in chunks
- 1 can butter beans ( or cannellini), rinsed and drained
- 1 tbsp dried Thyme (or 2-3 sprigs fresh)
- 500ml good quality chicken (ideally homemade) or (V) vegetable stock
- ½ tbsp coarse black pepper
- 6-8 “cubes” frozen leaf/chopped spinach or 1 large bag fresh
- 100g cream cheese, full fat (V optional)
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- Salt
To serve
- Sliced sourdough
- Olive oil
- Za’atar
Here’s how…
Heat the olive oil and butter (if using) in a large pan and add the onions. Cook over a medium heat for around 5mins, making sure that they do not brown. When they are soft and translucent, add the garlic and continue to cook for 2mins over a gentle heat.
Add the mushrooms and continue cooking for 5 minutes until the mushrooms begin to brown slightly.
Next add the white beans, thyme, pepper and stock and season with salt. Bring the pan to a boil before adding the frozen spinach. Keep it on a high heat until you have brought it to a boil again and then reduce the heat and allow the soup to simmer for around 10mins.
If you’re using fresh spinach, you can add this now, along with the mustard and cream cheese. Stir this in until the soup looks creamy and check the seasoning.
Just before serving, toast a slice of sourdough. When it’s ready, drizzle with olive oil and a generous sprinkle of za’atar.
Serve hot with toasted za’atar sourdough
Alternative White Bean soup as a broth
Options
- As an alternative to spinach, you can substitute for finely sliced kale
- For added flavour, you can combine fresh mushrooms with dried porcini or any other mixed gourmet mushrooms. Soak them before using and use the soaking water along with the spinach.
Leave a comment below; I’d love to hear how you find this soup. It was a winner in my house!
Want more recipes using beans? Try making a batch of Homemade Spicy Baked Beans. They’re far tastier and healthier than the shop-bought version!
2 Comments
Jeanne Karls
Could I have the nutritional facts for this soup?
May Simpkin
I don't provide specific nutritional breakdowns for my recipes. Instead, my recipes focus on a healthy balance of food groups, providing good nutrients as part of balanced choices day in day out...the May Way! This soup provides good fibre, plant based protein as well as an array of important vitamins and minerals. It's a great balanced stand-alone meal nutritionally.