This Bean Soup comes to you from El Bulli restaurant, famed in its time for topping the World’s 50 Best Restaurant list, year after year. But fear not! This is not a complex Michelin star dish. It’s a simple bean soup from the El Bulli staff cookbook.
If this tasty little number is good enough for the folks behind this world class restaurant, it’s good enough for the rest of us!
Bean Soup from El Bulli
El Bulli was a restaurant in Catalonia, Spain, that cemented its place in dining history as one of the world’s all-time greatest restaurants. This 3-Michelin restaurant run by the chef Ferran Adrià is best known as a pioneer of molecular gastronomy – a highly technical, innovative style of food that sought to redefine traditional preconceptions of food and dining.
Famously only open for 5 months of the year, landing a reservation in its heyday was akin to striking gold. Even billionaires and Hollywood elites would chopper in, clamouring for a chance to taste mind-bending nouveau-Spanish dishes like spherified liquid olives and the “vanishing ravioli”. Quite a step up from the sort of nosh I’m used to sharing on this website!
The dishes cooked by the kitchen for staff meals however were much more recognisable, home-style fare by comparison. A collection of these recipes is published in “The Family Meal” El Bulli cookbook. This food is definitely much closer to home and on my level!!😂
The bean soup I’m sharing today is based on a recipe from the book. No dehydrators, Pacojets or xanthan gum needed for this one, I promise! All it is is just a good, traditional Spanish bean soup topped with a deliciously punchy, pesto-like picada that really brings it home.
The original recipe from “The Family Meal” El Bulli cookbook contains clams. I was specifically looking for a vegetarian bean soup so I left it out, and still thought it was delicious. So that’s what I’m sharing today.
Ingredients in El Bulli’s Bean Soup
There’s two parts to this bean soup: the bean soup itself and picada, a pesto-like condiment used in Catalan cuisine. Don’t even think about skipping it. It really makes this otherwise very simple soup!
Ingredients in the soup
Here’s what you need for the soup:
Vegetable stock (forgive the typo above, I will fix it!) – Store-bought is fine but honestly, homemade vegetable stock is a cinch to make and takes this soup from good to great! Somehow I cannot imagine El Bulli making this with packet stock! 😂
Beans – Just everyday canned cannellini beans. El Bulli made this with dried beans they cooked themselves, which do taste better than canned. I opted for canned for convenience however so I (you!) can make this soup right now. But I’ve included directions in the recipe for making this with dried beans.
Tomato passata – Pureed, strained pure tomatoes, sometimes labelled “tomato puree” in the US (here’s a photo of Mutti tomato passata sold at Walmart). It’s readily available in Australian supermarkets nowadays, alongside pasta sauces. More on tomato passata here.
El Bulli probably made their own from fresh tomatoes. We will do just fine with store bought. 😉
Garlic and onion – Essential flavour base for an otherwise simple soup.
Extra virgin olive oil – For cooking. El Bulli probably pressed their own – heh! But you can just use store bought, don’t worry 👍🏻
Bay leaves, thyme and rosemary – A surprisingly small amount compared to the usual generous volumes of herbs I use in my recipes, and it’s all we need for their subtle flavour.
I also feel (immaturely) very smug that I can say these are out of my own garden. 🙌🏻
The real El Bulli clam version
If you feel that you are ready for the full El Bulli experience by adding clams, here’s how:
Soak clams for 1 hour as this will help the clams to purge themselves of any sand.
Remove from the water and add them to the soup 5 minutes before the end.
If clams aren’t available, use mussels instead. 😊
Ingredients for the Picada
As mentioned above, Picada is to Catalans what pesto might be to Italians and sauce verte to the French. A brightly herby green paste emulsified with oil, a dollop or a smear of it just makes everything better. This bean soup is no exception!
There are many variants of Picada, but generally it is made with some kind of nut (almond is most common but the hazelnut flavour here is on point), parsley, oil (to emulsify the sauce) and usually garlic. Sometimes bread is also added to thicken it, but we don’t need that for our purpose.
To make the Picada, it’s as simple as 1-2-3 (4):
Toast hazelnuts in a skillet with no oil until it smells nutty, shaking the skillet regularly – about 4 minutes on medium heat. This brings out the flavour of the hazelnuts, so don’t skip this step!
Remove most of the skin by bundling them up in a tea towel and rubbing with your hands (see video for demo). Then roughly chop them so it’s easier to blitz. If you don’t chop them, the parsley will be pulverised into a green smoothie before the hazelnuts are crushed.
Combine all ingredients in a jug or jar just large enough to fit the head of a stick blender.
Blitz until it has a consistency of pesto. It shouldn’t be pureed into a smooth paste, you want a bit of texture, like so:
How to make El Bulli’s Bean Soup
The 3 key steps here to extract the most out of just a few ingredients are:
Sautéing onion for a good 8 minutes until golden brown and almost caramelised;
Cooking down the tomato passata for 8 minutes until concentrated and sweetened; and
Pureeing a bit of the beans to release flavour and thicken the broth.
Sauté onions slowly – Sauté onion, garlic and herbs for 8 minutes on medium heat until it is golden and almost caramelised (like we do for French Onion soup – except this for 52 minutes less!) Don’t rush this step – the onions transform from pungent to sweet. Also, cooking the herbs on a low heat releases the flavour.
Cook down tomato passata for 8 minutes – This step cooks out the water, concentrates the flavour and intensifies the sweetness. Again, don’t rush this step – it’s just another little thing that makes a difference in this otherwise simple soup!
Simmer – Add the beans and vegetable stock, then simmer for 15 minutes.
Puree – Remove 2/3 cup of the soup and beans then use a stick blender to puree until smooth.
Stir in puree – Add the puree back into the soup and stir. This thickens the watery soup broth into a creamy consistency and colour.
Add some Picada – Just before serving, add in half the Picada and stir. This changes the colour of the soup from orange-red to a red-olive colour with little green bits in it. Just for fun, taste the soup before and after the Picada so you can marvel at the difference it makes!
It’s best to do this just before serving to preserve the green colour. Having said that though, don’t fret about leftovers – it’s fine if the parsley loses its bright green colour because we hold some picada back to dollop on top of the soup.
Serve! Once the Picada is stirred in, the bean soup is ready to serve. Ladle into bowls and dollop with a some of the reserved Picada for a hit of freshness and flavour.
That is one seriously good bowl of soup right there. And to think it’s “just” made with canned beans!
I know some of you may be tempted to skip the Picada, thinking it’s an extra step you’d rather avoid. But I promise you, it’s worth it. It totally makes it. Don’t leave it out! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Simple Bean Soup from El Bulli (world’s all time greatest restaurant!)
Ingredients
Bean Soup:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove (large), minced
- 1 brown onion , (1 large, 2 small), finely chopped (~180g/6oz)
- 1/4 tsp fresh thyme , chopped (sub 1/8 tsp dried)
- 1/4 tsp fresh rosemary , chopped (sub 1/8 tsp dried)
- 1 bay leaf , fresh (or 1/2 dried)
- 1/3 cup tomato passata (Note 1)
- 4 x 400g/14oz cans cannellini beans , drained (Note 2 for dried)
- 3 cups vegetable stock , preferably homemade (else low sodium store bought) (Note 3)
Picada recipe (makes 4 tbsp):
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves , roughly chopped (ie chop then lightly pack in)
- 1 garlic clove (medium), roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup whole hazelnuts , skin on (or almonds)
- 1/2 tsp cooking / kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt) (Note 4)
Instructions
- Saute onion and herbs 8 minutes: Heat oil in a large heavy based pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, herbs and cook, stirring regularly, for 8 minutes until the onions are a deep golden brown and sweet.
- Cook tomato passata 8 minutes: Add tomato passata and cook over low heat for another 8 minutes until the tomato changes from red and watery to dark brown a d very thick. Don't skimp on this step, it's key for flavour!
- Simmer: Stir in the beans followed by the vegetable stock. Adjust heat so it's bubbling very gently and simmer for 15 minutes with the lid off.
- Blitz: Transfer 2/3 cup (150ml) of soup into a jug or jar large enough to fit the head of a blender stick. Blitz until smooth then stir it back into the soup to thicken the broth.
- Stir in Picada: Just before serving, stir in 2 tablespoons of Picada. Taste and add more salt if needed (canned beans differ in salt). Then serve immediately.
- Serve: Dollop each bowl with 1 teaspoon of remaining Picada. Crusty bread highly recommended (easy Artisan, no yeast bread or French brioche).
Picada:
- Toast hazelnuts: Preheat a small skillet over medium heat. Add hazelnuts and toast, shaking the skillet regularly, until there are golden patches and they smell nutty.
- Remove most skin: Transfer hazelnuts to a clean tea towel. Bundle up and rub vigorously with hands to remove most of the skin (which is bitter). (No need to do this with almonds)
- Blitz: Roughly chop hazelnuts then add into a jug just large enough to fit the head of a stick blender with remaining ingredients. Blitz until it's like pesto – not completely smooth. Use per recipe.
Recipe Notes:
- 1 can = 1 3/4 cups beans once drained
- Recipe calls for 4 cans = 7 cups beans
- 1 cup dried beans = 2 3/4 cups cooked
- So you will need 2.5 cups dried beans (2.5 x 2.75 = 7 cups cooked beans)
- Soak clams for 1 hour as this will help the clams to purge themselves of any sand.
- Remove from the water and add them to the soup 5 minutes before the end.
- If clams aren’t available, use mussels instead. 😊
Nutrition Information:
More mean bean recipes
Life of Dozer
Dozer those dumplings are not for you. They are for humans!
I made this bean soup today. I attempted to follow your recipe exactly (which I rarely do with any recipe!), my only change being I used almonds instead of hazlenuts (which was a suggested substitution in your recipe).
This is a great soup! I make a lot of bean soups, and often they are somewhat similar. But this one has a different flavor profile which is so nice. And that goes for the flavor even before before the picada is added.
I did not stir any picada into the pot, and instead am stirring it into the soup as served. This is because I appreciated your point about keeping it green! The hit of raw garlic and parsley, and the richness and texture of the ground almonds is wonderful.
(I’m also going to apply the first steps of browning the onion and then carmelizing the tomato sauce to future soup recipes, it gave a very elegant flavor to the soup and I think would benefit other vegetable or bean soups. So, thank you for the detailed instructions and explaining why to do that step!)
The El Bulli bean soup is delicious with fresh mussels. Thank you Nagi. BTW The Guardian this week has Felicity Cloakes recipe for a plum clafoutis with almond meal which I asked you about some time ago. You might like to try.
I am planning to make this delicious looking soup this weekend. Based on the pictures it looks like you have drained and rinsed the beans. Is this correct? If this is the case and I opt to cook dried beans, would I also drain and rinse them after cooking? Thank you!!
This recipe is a delicious, warm and cozy bowl of beans.
This is the first recipe you have posted that I didn’t fall head-over-heels for. But it also isn’t one of your signature dishes, so no blame to you. If I’m being honest, the soup in itself is a bit boring and bland. I even used more fresh thyme and rosemary from my herb garden than the recipe called for. I live in Spain so I have good Spanish ingredients on hand. I added some nice smoked paprika, and it elevated it slightly. Maybe would try some saffron next time if I decide to try to make this again. I will say, the picada is delicious. I made a bigger batch and had some leftover and added it on top of some cooked ham and leftover soft boiled eggs I had from making Scotch eggs last night. It made for a really lovely breakfast. This picada is the star of the recipe, and could be used on so many different things. Keep up the great work!
So, it’s only been a few minutes since I scoffed a bowl of this soup for dinner and I had to come here to write a teaching review! Absolutely scrumptious. Definitely do not skip the picada – it really does elevate this dish 👌🏾
Did you drain and rinse the beans?
Yes, I did. I used canned beans.
I agree!! N x
Is the nutritional information for 4 or 6 servings?
It’s per serve for 4 servings Snez! N x
Amazing soup! made this for my family and everybody was loved it. Also, thank you for the vegetable stock recipe within – taking the time to make it was 100% worth it.
Woo hoo!! That’s great Bota! N x
Oof this is GOOD. Made last night for lunch today, my husband and I just sat there scoffing and occasionally moaning in happiness, absolutely delicious. I don’t know if the kids will be interested, but I don’t really want to share it with them anyway! Yummmmmm
Bah hah ha!! You really should share!! N x
Love this recipe! Had to increase my fiber intake due to a regretful health situation – THIS DOES THE JOB!!! Plan the next day carefully x
LOL!!! I am sorry for your health scare but laughing at the next day comment!! 😂😂💨💨 N x
How much clams would I use for this quantity
thanks in advance.
I made this soup yesterday and it was very, very good. Ate it again today and it was doubly good – all the flavours had melded and the garlic in the picada had mellowed a bit. Absolutely delicious and I had all the ingredients apart from parsley and hazelnuts that i had to buy. I was going to look up if I could freeze it but there’s not enough left! A fantastic recipe – thanks Nagi!
I am happy you liked it Natalie! N x
Can I use jarred pesto sauce?
That won’t be the same Sue but you can try it! N x
weird question-could I make this with ham bone? I have leftover ham/bone and looking for bean soup and thought of this. Thanks in advance. BTW, love the Dozer pics
Made this soup for dinner tonight and it was amazing! We all loved it and I’ll certainly be making it again soon.
Made this last night and it was delicious!!!! My partner said it was maybe his favorite soup of all time XD. I love that you add both the visual and timing estimates for cooking (~8 minutes for onion cooking, etc). I set the timer so I can do other things (like get the picada ready) while not burning the food! 🙂
Hi nagy just making your cannelloni bean soup. Smells beautiful but can I make the Picasa 24hrs before adding to soup please . Many thanks Terie
Hi Terie – if you make the picada early then you need to put on a layer of plastic wrap touching the surface of it so that it doesn’t turn dark before you use it. Or you can also pour a thin layer of olive oil over the top to keep the air away. N x
I made this tonight and my partner and I loved it even though I made a big mistake and wizzed the 2/3 cup of soup in with the picada! I had to stir the whole lot back into the soup and consequently didn’t have any picada to add on top, but the flavours were still really good! I also added a little bit of extra salt to the soup itself and shouldn’t have, it didn’t need it. However after a squeeze of lemon for each serve the slight over salting was fixed. I’m not sure why the previous commenter suggested this was not well balanced as the soup had a great depth of flavour.
I am so glad you saved it! N x
The picada is the star of the show! Definitely a necessary addition to this warming soup.
Yep! It’s the bomb!! N x
Just adore Dozer!
Desperate for your
cookbook here in Wales/UK.
Next year. Love your recipes
Nagi. Wish you great success
With your book.
Hi. I notice from both the photos and the video that you’re using flat-leaf parsley. I don’t know what varieties are sold in Australia, but here in the US what you show is called either Italian parsley or flat-leaf parsley. “Parsley” by itself indicates the curly-leaf variety in US markets. It might be a good idea to clarify that in the ingredients list. Thanks.