Lemon Basil Bean Soup

My hands smell like lemon, garlic and basil. Mmmm.

Please forgive my terrible photography skills.

This was one of those "pull everything from the fridge that needs to be eaten" types of meals. I really loved the combination of bay leaves and lemon when I made the artichoke, so I created the same kind of taste here.

Chicken broth, a half-used lemon, and some sad-looking celery and carrots were pulled out and paired with some dried beans from the back of the pantry and some fresh herbs from the garden. I could be getting the hang of this.

Lemon Basil Bean Soup

1 T. olive oil
1/2 c. chopped celery
1 chopped carrot
1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 T. crushed bay leaves, or 2 whole ones
1 1/2 c. dried beans
Fresh parsley, handful-ish, roughly chopped
Fresh basil, handful-ish, roughly chopped
3 c. chicken broth
zest and juice from 1 lemon

1/4 c. fresh basil and parsley, finely chopped, to add after cooking
salt and pepper

Soak the beans overnight, or quick soak: Rinse, bring to a boil in some water, cover and turn the heat off, let them sit for an hour. Drain before using.

In your soup pot, heat up olive oil. Sautee the carrot and celery for a few minutes until they start to get soft. Add in the garlic for a minute. Toss in the drained beans, herbs, lemon juice & zest, and broth. Simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the beans get soft but aren't too mushy yet.

I like to mush up a few of the beans and add them back into the soup. Reserve 1/4 of the soup. I recently discovered that I have this badass immersion blender. That thing is fun. Blend it with the extra 1/4 c. herbs, and add it all back to the pot.

Season with salt and pepper.