Name: Winter Black Bean Soup with Cavolo Nero and Seasonal Veg
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 4
Ingredients: ¾ Cup Black turtle beans dried; This will yield approximately 2 cups of cooked beans. If using canned beans, this is equivalent to about 2x 400g cans once they are drained. See **Note at Step 3; 2 tbsp Olive oil; 1 Carrot peeled and diced; 2 Celery stalks diced; 1 tbsp Smoked paprika; ½ tsp Allspice; 2 tbsp Tomato paste; 6 cups Water; 400 g Tinned diced tomato; 1 Sweet potato (small to medium) peeled and diced; 1 Swede peeled and diced; 8 Cavolo nero leaves- rinsed/ dried and chopped roughly; 2 pinches Sea salt; Cracked pepper

CategoryRECIPESDifficultyBeginner

Winter in Traditional Chinese Medicine lends itself to warming soups and stews. The addition of black turtle beans and seasonal root vegetables help to support the kidney energy and nourish the blood. Cavolo Nero (known as black cabbage or Tuscan kale) is nutrient rich and can benefit digestion. I have used dried turtle beans in this recipe but you can substitute canned if preferred (see note).

Yields4 Servings

Prep Time30 minsCook Time1 hr 30 minsTotal Time2 hrs

¾ Cup Black turtle beans dried

This will yield approximately 2 cups of cooked beans. If using canned beans, this is equivalent to about 2x 400g cans once they are drained. See **Note at Step 3

2 tbsp Olive oil

1 Carrot peeled and diced

2 Celery stalks diced

1 tbsp Smoked paprika

½ tsp Allspice

2 tbsp Tomato paste

6 cups Water

400 g Tinned diced tomato

1 Sweet potato (small to medium) peeled and diced

1 Swede peeled and diced

8 Cavolo nero leaves- rinsed/ dried and chopped roughly

2 pinches Sea salt

Cracked pepper

Step 1

To prepare the beans - rinse thoroughly, place in a bowl and cover with plenty of cold water.
Leave to soak overnight in fridge.
Rinse beans, drain and set aside.

Step 2

Heat olive oil in a heavy based pan.
Gently saute celery and carrot until softened.
Stir through the paprika and allspice and fry until fragrant (approx 1 minute).
Add the tomato paste and cook for a further minute.

Step 3

Add the soaked, raw beans to the pan with 6 cups of water.
Bring to the boil and simmer for approximately 1 - 1 1/2 hours until beans are tender.
Add more water if needed to maintain a soupy consistency.
Do not add salt at this stage of the cooking process as it can cause the outer skin on the beans to become tough.

**Note: If using canned turtle beans, skip this step. Reduce the water to 4 cups and add in at the start of Step 4. The cooked beans can be added in with the Cavolo Nero in the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Step 4

Add the tinned tomato, sweet potato and swede, salt and pepper.
Bring to the boil and simmer for approximately 20 minutes until root vegetables are tender.
Add the Cavolo Nero and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Adjust seasoning as needed.

Enjoy x

Ingredients