Ingredients:
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt and ground black pepper
2 cups cooked or canned cannellini beans
1 1/2 cups of fresh cherry tomatoes or 1 15-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes (or whatever tomatoes you have)
4 cups vegetable stock
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 fresh thyme sprig
6-12 oz. baby spinach (we prefer more)
4 large, thick slices whole-grain bread, toasted
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Directions:
1. Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large soup pot that can go into the oven; a dutch oven is good. Heat over medium. When hot, add chopped onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Drain the beans, if they’re canned, rinse them as well. Add them to the pot along with tomatoes and their juices and stock, rosemary and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so the soup bubbles steadily. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice to break up the tomatoes, until the flavors meld, about 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Fish out and discard rosemary and thyme stems and stir in spinach. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Lay bread slices on top of the stew so they cover the top and overlap as little as possible. Scatter red onion slices over the top, drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with Parmesan.
4. Put the pot under the broiler on high and broil until the bread, onions and cheese are browned and crisp. Take care not to burn. Divide the soup and bread among 4 bowls and serve.
This recipe originally was posted on the New York Times.