Creamy White Bean Rutabaga and Roasted Garlic Soup
Updated Mar 08, 2022, Published Dec 17, 2017
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Creamy White Bean Rutabaga and Roasted Garlic Soup makes a lovely light winter supper, lunch or elegant starter. Best of all, this rich and creamy soup is actually quite healthy!
The poor, poor rutabaga. It’s not a very pretty vegetable and many people don’t even know what it is or what to do with it. Quite often when I’m in the process of purchasing one, the person checking me out has to ask me what it is. And really, couldn’t someone have come up with a better name?
The rutabaga (also known as a Swede or Swedish turnip) is a cross between the turnip and cabbage which makes it a cruciferous vegetable which are very good for us!
Nutrition in rutabagas:
According to Livestrong.com, rutabagas are loaded with:
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Vitamins E and C
- Fiber
- Cancer-fighting compounds
Tips for buying rutabagas:
Rutabagas can grow quite large. I avoid really large ones because they’re extremely difficult to cut and can be fibrous in the center. They are often sold coated with a thick layer of wax which helps to preserve them.
How to peel rutabaga:
- To cut rutabaga, slice the top and bottom off first.
- Then, remove the peel by cutting down toward the cutting board, rotating the rutabaga as you go.
- If you can’t get all of the peel off, you may need to flip the rutabaga and remove the remainder. (The technique I use is similar to the way I do butternut squash in this recipe.)
How to make Creamy White Bean, Rutabaga and Roasted Garlic Soup:
First, roast some garlic or add drained and patted dry Garlic Confit. The sublime flavor of roasted garlic mellows the rutabaga.
And, I absolutely do have green sprouts in my garlic which many believe ruins the garlic. First of all, I needed to use this garlic or toss it. I hate throwing food out!
Then, I did a little research on whether garlic that has begun to sprout is so terrible and turns out, it’s not. It’s actually a good thing!
According to Prevention.com, sprouted garlic has tons of beneficial compounds. There was no hint of bitterness at all from the garlic in this soup. My husband took this soup to a church potluck the night I made it and it received rave reviews!
Then, simply cook onion, add the rutabaga, vegetable or chicken broth and white kidney beans. (Navy beans will also work.) White kidney beans (also known as cannellini beans) add protein and help to thicken the soup.
Add a touch of cream for a luxurious touch and puree the soup for silky smooth goodness!
That’s it! Creamy White Bean Rutabaga and Roasted Garlic Soup will get you rave reviews!
Be sure to try some of my other smooth and creamy soups!
- Butternut Squash Soup with Thyme and Taleggio
- Cream of Green Vegetable Soup
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Gouda Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Puree
- Broccoli Gruyere Soup with Torn Garlic Croutons
- Cream of Celery Leaf and Scallion Soup
- Spinach Goat Cheese Bisque with Crispy Lemon Chickpeas
I served with Quinoa Parmesan Crisps for the perfect crispy accompaniment! Enjoy!
Creamy White Bean Rutabaga and Roasted Garlic Soup
Ingredients
- 2 heads garlic
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion, chopped
- Salt, to taste
- 1 medium rutabaga, approximately 1 1/2 pounds, peeled and cubed
- 6 cups chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- 3 cans (15-ounce each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- White pepper, to taste
- Chopped fresh chives, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the top off each head of garlic. Place in a small baking dish. Drizzle each head with 1 tablespoon olive oil, making sure the oil gets down into the head of garlic. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until garlic is soft. When cool to the touch, carefully squeeze the garlic out and set aside. Keep oven at 400 degrees to make the quinoa crisps.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil and butter in a Dutch oven or large pot or medium-high heat. Add the onion with salt to taste, reduce heat to medium and cook 5 to 6 minutes or until onion is beginning to soften.
- Add the rutabaga, stir, then add the chicken or vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, cover slightly, reduce heat to medium-low and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until the rutabaga is soft and easily cuts with a knife.
- Add the beans, roasted garlic and heavy cream. Puree until smooth with an immersion blender. Alternately, puree in batches in a food processor or blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
- Garnish with fresh chives.
Notes
- Can be made 1-2 days ahead of time.
- If making this to serve later, use two cans of beans instead of three. The soup will thicken while refrigerated. Refrigerate until needed.
- Reheat on the stovetop or microwave.
- Store in airtight containers in desired quantity for 2-3 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator or the microwave.
- Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Would this soup still be good if you didn’t puree it? If so, would I leave the cream out? I like a chunky soup. It’s more filling.
Hi, Cindy, Thanks so much for your question. Sure, you could leave it chunky if you want and even leave the cream in. It would be a different soup and more like a stew then. You could add carrots and celery if you’d like. You’d still want to mash up the roasted garlic, however or serve it over crusty bread along with the soup. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
I was thinking celery root/celeriac would be good in this too!
Hi, Julia, Yes, you could certainly give that a try! Love celery root!
The best soup I’ve ever made. Great recipe.
Hi, Debra, Thanks so very much and so glad you enjoyed! Rutabaga is totally underappreciated in my opinion but this, too, is one of my favorites! Thanks again and hope you’ll try some of my other recipes.
Hi! Thoughts on skipping the heavy cream? And using milk, almond milk, or greek yogurt?
Hi, Hope, Thanks so much for your question. You could use milk or Greek yogurt. Is half-and-half too much? Keep in mind the yogurt is going to add a bit of “tang.” Not too sure about the almond milk; thinking that could change the flavor. Let me know what you end up doing and how it turned out. Thanks so much!
Just didn’t have heavy cream on me! I used almond milk and a little extra butter (didn’t want to risk the tanginess of yogurt) and it tasted good!
Thanks, Hope! That’s a great solution and glad you enjoyed! I think rutabagas are seriously underrated so I’m happy to see you enjoyed the soup. Thanks again and please stay in touch.
I enjoy the flavor of rutebaga, so this recipe perhaps wonderful for those who do not like the flavor, however, for me, the beans and so much garlic just gave me the flavor of garlicy bean soup. I made it again, much less beans & garlic & it was great.
I’m glad you were able to tweak the recipe to better suit your preferences. Rutabaga definitely has a unique flavor, and it’s great to hear how adjusting the beans and garlic brought out the flavors you enjoy.
Looks delicious, but what temperature do you use to cook the quinoa crisps?
Hi, Renana, Thanks so much for your great question. You bake them at 400 degrees like the garlic. I will update the recipe to be more specific. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!