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Greek Lemony Bean Potato Soup

Greek Lemony Bean and Potato Soup

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  • Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
  • Prep Time: 15 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 14 Minutes
  • Total Time: 29 Minutes (+Rest Time)
  • Yield: 4 Servings 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Instant Pot/Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Greek
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Light, refreshing, and comforting, this oil-free Greek Lemony Bean Potato Soup is brimming with protein-packed beans, hearty potatoes, and sweet carrots in a savory lemony flavored broth featuring aromatic Greek spices.


Ingredients

Scale

Base Ingredients:

  • 1 cup yellow onions, fine dice
  • 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 celery ribs. diced
  • 2 medium carrots, diced
  • 2 ½ cups water
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (+/-) *
  • 1 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth *
  • 2 – [ 15 oz. can ] cannellini , drained and rinsed *
  • 3 cups Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1 ¼-inch cubes *

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
  • Pinch black pepper
  • Pinch dried crushed rosemary

Other Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons white miso *
  • ¼ teaspoon lemon zest (+/-) *

Optional Toppings:

  • Freshly chopped parsley
  • Lemon zest

Instructions

Instant Pot Instructions

  1. Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients (except the bay leaves) into a small bowl, mix well. Set aside.
  2. Add all the Base Ingredients and the Spice/Herb Mix into the Instant Pot. Stir well to combine all the ingredients, tuck in the bay leaves.  Set the Instant Pot to Manual Pressure High for 12 to 14 minutes (see notes).  When finished, press Cancel, unplug the Instant Pot, and allow to sit for 2 minutes, then do a Quick Release
  3. Once all the pressure is released, carefully remove the lid. Remove and discard the bay leaves.  Stir in the lemon zest and miso (see notes), allow to set for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.
  4. Remove about 1 ½ to 2 cups of the soup mixture (making sure to get a good mix of potatoes and cannellini beans) and mash them in a bowl, then return the mashed mixture to the soup to create a thickened broth.  Taste test ramp up any flavors as desired.  Serve with additional lemon zest and freshly chopped parsley.

Stove Top Instructions

  1. Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients (except the bay leaf and cayenne pepper) in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
  2. Add all the Base Ingredients and Spice/Herb Mix, stir well to combine, then tuck the bay leaves into the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cover with a tight-fitting lid.  Simmer for 30 minutes or until the carrots, celery, and potatoes are perfectly tender, stirring occasionally.
  3. Once the carrots, celery, and potatoes are tender, remove the pot from the stove.  Remove and discard the bay leaves.  Stir in the lemon zest and miso, allow to set for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.
  4. Remove about 1 ½ to 2 cups of the soup mixture (making sure to get a good mix of potatoes and cannellini beans) and mash them in a bowl, then return the mashed mixture to the soup to create a thickened broth.  Taste test ramp up any flavors as desired.  Serve with additional lemon zest and freshly chopped parsley.

Notes

*Tips for Success:

  • Spices/Herbs: We recommend adding the spices/herbs as listed, then ramping up any favorite spices at the end if desired.
  • Sautéing the Veggies: You can take the time to sauté the veggies and if you wish.  We tried this recipe both with and without sautéing the vegetables and noticed only a tiny bit of discernable flavor difference, so we elected to throw everything into the pot to make it easier.
  • Melting the Miso at the End: In order to avoid getting a clump of miso on your spoon, we recommend taking about ½ cup of hot soup broth and mixing it with the miso in a small bowl to dissolve the miso.  Once dissolved, return to the soup, stir well.
  • It’s all about the Lemon: This recipe is all about the beautiful flavor of lemon.  If you are not a total lemon lover, then this recipe isn’t for you.
  • Lemon Zest: Do not add the lemon zest to the pot while the soup is cooking.  It will intensive the lemon flavor too much.  We highly recommend adding the lemon zest at the very end after removing the pot from the stove (or unplugging the instant pot).  Additionally, add a tiny sprinkle of lemon zest to individual bowls right before serving.  It really pops the freshness of the lemon in the soup.
  • Broth: This soup broth is light, yet flavorful.  Greeks love lemon and that is what this soup is about.
  • Thickening the Broth: We took 1 ½ cups of the broth – heavy on potatoes and beans and mashed it, then returned it to the pot to thicken the soup.  If you want a really thick soup, then use an emersion blender or remove more of the broth to mash and return.   (Note:  It’s OK if a few stray carrots, celery, and onions are in the mash.  The key is to get a nice mixture of potatoes and beans).
  • Instant Pot Size and Timings: We have an 8-quart Instant Pot.  If using a 6-quart IP,  you may find that you need to adjust the timing downward a tad, perhaps 10 to 12 minutes.  Adjust intuitively based upon the size of the potatoes.

*Notes Continued:

*Vegetable Stock:   We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.

*Beans:  You can use your favorite white bean in this dish.  We used cannellini beans for their beautiful dreamy texture.

*Yukon Gold Potatoes:  You can use your favorite potato in this soup.  We used Yukon Golds simply because the skins are very thin and do not require peeling.  Other types of potatoes may require peeling off the skin, i.e. Russets, etc.

*Sea Salt:  You may need to add some sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences.   We added an extra teaspoon of sea salt.

*Servings:  4 (makes approximately 8 cups)

*Storage:  Refrigerate and use within 5 days.