Sopa de Nabos, Portuguese Turnip and White Bean Soup
Turnips are one of the cheapest and most overlooked roots in the store, sweet and peppery once they soften, and in the cold interior of Trás-os-Montes they anchor a plain, filling soup. This version leans on the turnip rather than burying it, with just enough potato and blended white bean to give the broth a creamy weight. A third of the pot gets pureed and stirred back so the texture is thick without a drop of dairy, and the rest of the beans stay whole for substance. Cilantro and a spoon of red wine vinegar go in at the end, the way a Portuguese cook reaches for acid and herbs instead of the salt cellar. It costs almost nothing and reheats better the next day.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Turnips, peeled and diced
- 1/2 lb Potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 whole Yellow onions, diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, sliced
- 1 whole Carrots, diced
- 1 1/2 cups Cannellini beans, cooked, no-salt-added
- 1 whole Bay leaves
- 1/3 cup Cilantro, chopped
- 1 tbsp Red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Sweat the onion and garlic in a pot with 0.25 cup (60 ml) water over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes, adding a splash more if it dries. Turnips can taste sharp on their own, so a slow, sweet onion base is what rounds them off without any salt.
- Add the turnips, potato, carrot, bay leaf, and 4 cups (950 ml) water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until everything is completely soft, about 18 minutes. Turnips soften slower than potato, so cut them no larger and give them the head start of going in together.
- Scoop out about a third of the vegetables and half a cup of the beans, blend them smooth with a ladle of the broth, and stir the puree back in. This is what gives a peasant soup its body: no cream, just its own starch and bean blended thick.
- Stir in the rest of the beans and warm through for 2 minutes. The whole beans keep the soup from being a flat puree and add the protein that makes it a meal rather than a starter.
- Off the heat, fish out the bay leaf, then stir in the cilantro, red wine vinegar, and black pepper. Cilantro is the Portuguese signature here, and the vinegar sharpens the earthy turnips in place of salt. Taste and loosen with a little hot water if needed.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 190 calories, 9 g protein, 9 g fiber, 90 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
