Tomato and Cannellini Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried cannellini or other small white beans, soaked overnight
• 1 onion, quartered through root end
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• Kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
• 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
• ½ teaspoon (or more) crushed red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 fennel bulb, cored, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves torn into pieces
• Chopped unsalted, roasted almonds (for serving)

Steps

Beans

1. Put the beans, onion, garlic and bay leaves in a large pot. Add cold water to cover them by 2". Bring to a simmer over medium heat, add several pinches of salt and turn the heat down to low. Keep the beans at a bare simmer until creamy but still holding their shape, 35–45 minutes. Let them cool in the cooking liquid, then discard the bay leaves.
2. You can cook the beans 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate them.

Soup

1. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil over medium-high in a large heavy pot. Add the tomatoes, ½ tsp. red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Leave the tomatoes undisturbed until caramelized and nearly blackened on one side, about 5 minutes. Break them up and scrape the bottom of the pot. Continue cooking, scraping and stirring occasionally, until caramelized all over, about 5 minutes more. Move the tomatoes to a plate.
2. Heat another 2 Tbsp. oil over medium in the same pot. Add the onion, fennel and garlic, with a pinch or so of red pepper flakes if desired. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown around the edges, 8–10 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and tomatoes, scraping up the browned bits. Drain the beans and add them to the pot with the broth. For a thicker soup, use half the broth plus 2 cups of the bean-cooking liquid. Bring to a simmer, season with salt and cook until the flavors meld, 30–45 minutes.
3. Just before serving, stir in the chard and cook it until wilted. Ladle the soup into bowls, then top with almonds and drizzle with oil.
4. The soup can be made 4 days ahead without the chard. Let it cool, then cover and refrigerate.