Cranberry Bean Zuppa Lombarda
Rich and creamy beans, plus stale bread and a flavorful broth gives us this zuppa lombarda (or soup for the Lombards). This super simple and frugal recipe uses scraps of bread, beans, and the bean cooking liquid, augmented with fresh herbs. The origins of this dish are not totally known, but it’s thought it might have been made by workers building a railway line in the 1800’s, most of whom hailed from Lombardy. Our version of the soup has a light yet rich, savory, lemony broth with herbs, lightly wilted spinach, creamy cranberry beans, stale bread, olive oil to finish the dish.
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All About the Cranberry Bean
Cranberry beans are not the most common bean on the shelf, but you may see them in your local farmers market, or being grown by small farmers and sold in specialty stores. They are popular in Italy and Portugal, where they are called borlotti beans. Before cooking, cranberry beans have a light color with pinkish-reddish spots. When cooked, their flesh turns a brownish color, similar in the shade and size to a pinto bean. They are sold shelled and dried, and need to be rehydrated and cooked before consuming. They are a fairly quick cooking bean, with a thin skin. Some people soak their beans to cook them more quickly or evenly- if soaking makes a difference depends on who you ask. I soak my beans if I remember, but don’t stress it at all if I don’t.
Cranberry beans are soft and creamy, with a mild, chestnut-like flavors. They are a very versatile bean, and work well in all sorts of dishes (including this zuppa lombarda). They produce a rich and flavorful broth. Nutritionally, they are high in protein and fiber, and fairly low in calories and low in fat. They contain good amounts of potassium, copper, and iron.
Got Stale Bread? Try one of these recipes!
- Vegan Stuffing with Mushrooms and Apples
- Vegan Pane Cotto (AKA Bread and Bean Casserole)
- Quick and Easy Cheesy Vegan Croutons
Looking for Brothy Beans? Try one of these!
- Instant Pot Black Borracho Beans with Potatoes
- Warming Vegan Stew with Squash and Cardamom
- Spicy Jackfruit and Black Bean Stew with Bananas
- Easy Minestrone Soup with Beets
- Baby Bok Choy Christmas Lima Bean Soup
How to Make Zuppa Lombarda
Our recipe is a variation on the classic- our biggest alternation is using a cranberry bean instead of what is traditionally a white bean like a cannellini bean. Since this recipe is dependent on a delicious bean broth, we wanted to choose a bean that would create a rich and flavorful broth. We also really felt that this dish could use a little green, so we added some spinach, but feel free to omit if you like.
To make this dish, start with chopping some garlic and onions. Next add herbs and beans, stir them around, and add water to the pot. Bring the pot to a simmer, and cook until soft- my beans were very fresh, and actually took just under an hour to be soft and creamy, but yours may take longer. Once the beans are cooked, season with salt and pepper and finish with lemon juice. A lot of the remaining cooking comes now. First, add a small handful of spinach to each serving bowl. Take your stale bread, and add it on top. Next add a ladle or two of the cooking liquid from the beans, making sure to drizzle it over the spinach to wilt it and to cover the bread to rehydrate it. Add a generous serving of the beans. The final step is to add a glug of nice olive oil over each portion. And just like that, with stale bread and dried beans, dinner is served.
Cranberry Bean Zuppa Lombarda
Ingredients
- Olive oil, for cooking and serving
- 1 medium-sized onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- ½ lb. dried cranberry beans
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 2 oz. baby spinach
- Stale bread (18 slices of baguette, or 6 slices of larger bread)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Dice your onion, and mince the garlic. Add a small amount of oil to a medium-large pot, and heat. Add the onions and garlic, sauteing until the onions are fragrant and start to turn translucent. Add the bay leaf, rosemary, and beans. Stir it around, and then add 6 cups of water. Bring the pot to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the beans are soft.
- If your bread is not stale, toast it lightly. Once the beans are cooked, season with salt and pepper to taste and add the juice of half a lemon. To serve, add a small handful of spinach at the bottom of each bowl. On top of that, add three pieces of baguette, or chop larger slices and use one slice of bread per bowl. Add a ladle or two of the cooking broth, and another one or two of the beans on top. Finish each bowl with a little olive oil, and serve.
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