Bean Soup with Garlic Croutons

Last Sunday night we wanted a cozy, warm dinner, so I wanted to try this bean soup.  The recipe serves 4.

For the Soup:

2 (15 ounce) cans of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed

4 cups of Chicken Broth

4 garlic cloves

1/2 of a medium red onion

1/4 cup of fresh sage leaves

1 tbsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

First, roughly chop the onion and smash the garlic.  Heat a soup pot on medium heat and put in the olive oil, onion and garlic.  Cook together for 5-10 minutes, until the onion begins to look transparent.  Now add the beans, chicken broth, sage leaves, pepper flakes and salt and pepper.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer with the lid on for 20 minutes.  Then, either with an emersion blender or a regular blender, puree the soup until smooth.  Taste for additional salt and pepper. 

The soup tastes great alone, but I added these croutons on top and it was delicious.

For the Croutons:

4 Slices of whole wheat bread, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp garlic powder (add more if you like a stronger garlic flavor)

2 pinches of salt

1 tsp dried parsley

pepper

Preheat the over to 350 degrees.  In a bowl, add olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper and parsley.  Then add the bread and mix until the cubes are lightly coated.  Put on a baking sheet and cook for 5 minutes, then stir and flip them, and cook for 5 to 10 more minutes, until they are golden brown.

To serve, top the soup with croutons and some Parmesan cheese.