Tomato Spinach Soup

White beans are the surprise ingredient in this tomato soup.

Puréed white beans are a wonderful foundation for creamy soups and sauces, for dips, and even as a base (instead of rice or mashed potatoes) for a scoop of cooked greens.

In this soup, they substitute for dairy products to make a creamy vegan soup.

The recipe makes a lot, so it's perfect for a pot luck on a cool evening. And, because it has no dairy products in it, it will freeze well.

I used dried white lima beans that I buy at the Hollywood Farmers Market. They are last year's crop, so they cook quickly without soaking - about 90 minutes. If you don't have dried limas, use cannelinis or any other white bean. If your beans are older, you could soak them overnight to shorten the cooking time. Or use canned beans - although it will take 6 cans to make the right amount of beans. (And dried are way cheaper.)

Use a well-flavored vegetable stock (I use my standard one which you can see here) or add extra salt and pepper while the soup cooks.

If you don't have a lime, use a tablespoon or so of lemon juice or white wine vinegar - it's there to give a boost to the flavor.

And when you serve this soup, call it creamy tomato spinach soup - no one has to know it's full of protein-rich, fiber-rich, incredibly healthy beans.

They can just know that it tastes great.

Tomato Spinach Soup
4 cups dried white beans
2 cups vegetable stock
2 -14oz cans tomato sauce
4 cups spinach
juice of 1/2 a lime

Cook the beans in simmering water until they are very tender. Drain, then purée the beans in batches in a food processor or blender. Let the machine run until the purée is really smooth, adding stock as needed so it is not at all grainy.

Put the purée in a large pot with any remaining stock. Start it warming, covered, over medium-low heat. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook gently until it's warmed through.

Stem the spinach, and chop if the leaves seem too big.

Add the spinach and lime juice to the pot. Stir well. Cook until the spinach is wilted. Taste for seasoning and serve hot.

Serves 8-10