My husband was sick with the flu this week and as anyone knows, men are a downright drama when it comes to being sick. They, or at least my husband is, the worst patient in the world. They turn from agreeable, pleasant, dependable creatures to babies who can’t do anything except for what they want to do. No matter how many times I told him to put the laptop away he wouldn’t. No matter how many times I told him that he had to eat something, he wouldn’t. I even bought him a gift to cheer him up (a set of boats as he is a keen sailor) and he pushed it away sulkily and asked if I could return it to the store. I felt like I had suddenly adopted a 5 year old in the midst of a 5 day long tantrum.
The rejected gift
So in the midst of this, I tried to cook him some soup to aid him in his recovery, which in turn would help preserve our marriage and allow me to keep a modicum of sanity. I had some spinach leftover from the Daring Bakers Spinach lasgane escapade, some chorizo in the freezer and some cannellini beans in the cupboard so I was pretty much there and done. I threw in some other vegetables that I thought would go well with it and and some garlic which would help with his flu and voila, I finally had a soup that would be fit for my Little King.
Did he like it? Perhaps it was the guilt from rejecting the gift, perhaps he was getting better but he loved it and ate is greedily. His appetite returned for this sustaining and healthy soup and before I knew it, he had eaten more than he had within the last few days combined. The soup somehow had a creamy texture from the white beans and the spinach and the addition of the chorizo gave it a spicy punctuation (but of course you could make this totally low fat and vegetarian by omitting the chorizo). And in return he was much less cranky and that certainly saved my sanity and subsequently, our marriage.
White Bean & Spinach Soup with Chorizo
An original recipe by Not Quite Nigella
Serves 4
- 1 tablespoon of oil
- 2 ribs of celery, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 2×400g/14ozs cans of cannellini beans
- 1 litre/ 1/2 pint of vegetable stock
- 300g/10ozs spinach (fresh or frozen, chopped)
- cloves of garlic, sliced
- 2x Chorizo sausages
- salt and pepper to taste
1. In a large saucepan, heat oil and fry the celery, onion and carrot until softened – about 10 minutes
2. Add bay leaves, stock, spinach and beans and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a shallow saucepan, fry the garlic and chorizo until chorizo is cooked through and garlic is browned (but not burnt)
4. Taste soup for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary. Blend soup in blender until smooth. Ladle into bowls and place chorizo pieces on top. Serve with crusty bread – I served it with an olive sourdough.
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55 Comments | Add your own
The soup looks very restorative. It also looks very smooth- did you blend it after cooking- I cant see any beans floating about?
Interesting combination of flavours, it looks lovely!
I think, in general, nobody want to be sick but you’ve delighted him with this wonderful soup.
A beautiful creamy soup with the extra big point of chorizo…ohh love it!
In this case I prefer the not-vegan option
Cheers!
Gera
looks delicious and heart-warming
i heard you were sick too! get better soon yes?
Great idea for this miserable weather! =)
Hi there,
Did you remove the bay leaves or blend these as well?
“They turn from agreeable, pleasant, dependable creatures to babies who can’t do anything except for what they want to do.”
Yours too, hey? =P
This soup looks really good and I will be making it! thanks NQN
ooohhh chorizo.
Lies, all Lies!
I agree about the mopey-ness of sick men, but then I guess I’m pretty mopey myself when I’m not well. This looks like a great soup, especially on a cold rainy day like today.
MEN!!! bloody hopeless
Good work on saving the marriage with soup
x
mmmmm yum, i love a good soup. and my husband is equally as useless when sick, you would think he was dying the way he carries on. I like to make a hearty chicken soup when he is sick with lots of garlic and veges but he adores chorizo so next time I might have to make this one
Haha, men are such hypochondriacal babies! Your boat gift looks lovely, and your soup does, too. I am going to make it very soon. PS: Is that your hubby posing with the soup? Is he wearing some type of Shawl???
gosh but don’t you just love those first soups of the season?
looks so yummy, Lorraine!
We could all certainly do with a bit of soup (especially when there’s chorizo in it) when we’re feeling sick! Hope he’s completely recovered now.
You found a cure for the Man Cold!
It’s certainly the week for it. I made myself leek and potato soup last night and grumped in bed until the boy came home.
This looks great, I have some giant white beans I need to use up – I wonder if they’d work in lieu of cannellini beans?
Hmmmm, they never talk about soup when you go to marriage counseling, it can be a very powerful tool. The soup looks very appetizing, although I’m a sucker for anything with spinach in it.
I call it manflu!
Do you know a recipe for zuccini asparagus soup?
The asparagus is the asparagus cuts from a tin.
My neighbour makes it but refuses to give me the recipe,it is a really easy and delicious soup.
Sigh…men, men, men!
I heard you got sick too. Now it’s your turn to put your hubby through the ropes! Though he prob can’t top you and this gorgeous soup!
Feel better sweetie
Men when sick definitely do turn into children! I just don’t know what it is…hee hee…
What wonderful bowls! And a wonderful recipe.
That looks great. I’m making it for ME!
Your husband should be ashamed of himself and whipped to within and inch of his life.
Is that Stephen Arnott’s lovely bread?
That looks delish! I hope the hubby is on the mend, men are never very good at being sick – a cold & they think the world is ending!
oh YUM! I’m gonna make the vegetarian version this week…love bean and spinach soups! Poor sooky husband, you have to treat them like a naughty child sometimes so they get out of that sulky habit!
This looks like a great soup, especially for the terrible weather in Syd atm!
The sails on the boat look dangerous lol
I’ve been craving spinach and chorizo for the past couple days. (I bought a packet of stir-in paella flavoring, hence the need for spicy sausage and a spinach salad to go alongside!) I’d love to try this one out. The color’s just lovely, by the way.
Oh that is such a fantastic idea to do that with the canelli beans. I have tons in my pantry because my husband said he would make something with them, and never did. That was almost 6 months ago.
I think I will do this tonight for myself, while he is out with his work mates.
BTW, I know exactly what you mean about husbands getting sick and acting like babies.
My husband doesn’t get sick often but when he does, i just want to make him, he becomes so childish, pouting and sulking all the time.
And then when I beg him to let me do something for him, he gets all pissy and exclaims “stop trying to act like you are my mom”. And he does this all the time. So always, in the end, I just ignore him to get better. (He’s a bit of an ass when he is ill)
oops.. that word was “smack”. I want to smack him.
Hi Sandra-Yep I did blend it after cooking it
I love blended soups!
Hi Anita-Thankyou!
Hi Gera-hehe yes if I had the choice of chorizo or no chorizo, I always go for the chorizo
Hi shez-yes thanks so much! that’s sweet of you to say
Hi Brianna-I know, isn’t it just the perfect soup weather!
Hi Jess-Recipes usually say to remove them but I forgot to and blended it and I couldn’t really taste them although you definitely could remove them.
Hi Kathy-haha yes! Oh cool, and you’re welcome!
Hi justJENN -yup, food of the gods!
Hi MrNQN-haha sorry but I have evidence
Hi Arwen-I am not great company but I think I’m just quieter and immobile
thanks, yes it’s good even if you aren’t sick! 
Hi Iron Chef Shellie -Haha gotta love em
Thankyou!
Hi sarah-I know, that’s probably why they don’t give birth
That sounds lovely! If it helps this soup has garlic which is good for colds and you could definitely use a chicken stock 
Hi belle -They are!
Thankyou! Yup that is him, I should point out that that was a throw on the lounge to keep him warm while he was on his laptop 
Hi the projectivist -yup it’s soup weather now isn’t it! Thanks!
Hi Y -He’s getting better thankyou
Yup I’d like to add chorizo to everything I think 
Hi Tina -LOL at Man Cold!
Hi Amaya -yes where did this sudden rain come from? Oh sounds lovely! I love snuggling in bed with some soup
Hi Sara-oh definitely! I think you could use almost any kind of bean
Hi Maria-haha they don’t do they! Me too, I adore spinach, like Popeye!
Hi Anna -Lol at these terms like Man Cold and Manflu
I don’t although I tend to just throw veges in a pot with onions and stock and then season and then blend if necessary. Aww no, not fair!
Hi Karen-Haha I can look after myself when sick
I don’t think I’d ever refuse a gift like him! Thanks so much darling! 
Hi Alexandra -I don’t know! perhaps they revert bacl to when their mums looked after them
Hi ninjamoeba-thanks so much!
Hi Carol-Wonderful! hehe I’ll tell him that next time he asks me to return a gift
Unfortunately not, it’s just a plain olive sourdough 
Hi Naomi-Thankyou! Yes I just wish that they’d hurry up and get better and save my sanity
Hi Tiffany-Oh cool!
haha just let them be bratty 
Hi Howard-Yeah it’s rather appropriate! It could be used as a weapon in a pinch!
Hi Midge-Oh what a cool coincidence! Definitely give it a try if you’re in a soupy mood. Thanks so much!
Hi Angela-Oh wonderful! haha yes I have an apartment full of half completed things
I don’t know why they change when they’re sick. My husband is usually the most wonderful man but when he’s sick, another personality takes over. Interesting, perhaps they don’t want to be babied yet they do? I think you’ve got the right tactic, if you ignore them then less stress for you!
That looks real healthy, the chorizo is the only naughty bit.
Being a bloke myself, i’ve had my fair share of mopping around when sick. I don’t know why we do it but my girl survives it hehe.
this is quite the unique soup, lorraine! when i saw the title, i was expecting a brothy, whole-bean, and stringy-spinach concoction. that wouldn’t have been bad, mind you, but this is much better!
I hope Mr NQN changed his mind about the ships, they’re gorgeous!
I am sure your lovingly made healthy soup will make your husband, and you Lorraine also, well and happy again and he will be friendly and co-operating as before..! Your spinach and bean soup looks lovely and healing especially on a rainy day, although I would prefer its vegetarian version.
This soup looks fabulous! Would my husband eat a bowl if he was sick? You are absolutely right! Men are real Drama Queens when sick. But then, more of this gorgeous soup for us, right?
I LOVE all things green, so that soup just called my name! will any other beans work in this recipe too? If your husband doesn’t like it I’ll gladly lick the rest up
Are these your husband hands? ‘Cos there is no nail polish at all
I love asparagus soup but not the pumpkin soup. Hopefully my friend will not get turned off seeing green soup when winter come. Green soup is a weird colour for soup in my culture.
i hope you’re both well and all is blissed out in the NQN household now.
this soup looks yummy. i would have it with some shredded red leicester cheese on top. yum
That soup sounds great even when you’re not sick, though I imagine the garlic and veggies would work wonders to perk anyone up! Luckily my boyfriend rarely gets sick, but last time he did it was something I had just gotten over, so he was forced to listen to everything I told him as I’d just gone through the same!
This soup looks so delicious that it would definitely make anyone feel better. The spice from the chorizo is really good too! I hope your husband is feeling better!
I think that soup could save any marriage! You were so sweet to care for him when he was pitching a fit! Hopefully he does the same for you!
Oh that looks so yummy! I’m sure I have all the necessary ingredients at home to make this too. I don’t need to cheer up any grumpy men but I’m sure this will get brownie points nonetheless!
This looks great. Do I have to get my husband sick in order to make this, or can we just pretend?
Ok as a guy I have to completely agree with men when we are sick. I want no one around me because I end up driving everyone insane.
However, I still have a theory that chorizo or any pork product can solve all world problems including sickness.
This photo looks nothing like I was expecting it to! YUM, love white beans and spinach.
Had a feeling that Tastespotting photo I’ve been staring at all morning was yours. Very nice cap!
Hi porkygourmand-Yep and you could easily omit it (although I never do
) It must be a male thing, one of those eternal gender mysteries!
Hi grace-Haha that doesn’t sound too appetising does it?
Hi Moya-I told him that if he wanted to return them he could but I wasn’t going to and he is a bit lazy when it comes to things like that so he is living with them!
Hi tuulikki-Thanks, he got better quite quickly although I don’t know if the soup had anything to do with it.
Hi Jamie-Yes! I think they like being babied although I draw the line at feeding it to him like a plane!
Hi Sophia-I’m sure other beans would definitely work, even chickpeas if you have them. Hehe cool!
Hi Lilia-Haha yes! They’re a bit large for mine
Really? Green food is very healthy food!
Hi reddoorread-Thankyou so much! Everything has returned to “normal” now
x
Hi anna-Yes that’s true, it feels so healthy and good for you but doesn’t feel like a chore eating it
Ah the perils of being sick. I hope he listened to your advice!
Hi 5 Star Foodie-He’s great now thankyou
I think chorizo goes with almost anything-except desserts that is probably 
Hi Blond Duck-Haha I feel sorry for him, we I felt sorry for him until the present incident
Thanks!
Hi Forager-Great! The best thing is that I made another batch without celery but with chickpeas and cannellini beans and it worked great! Haha yes save up those brownie points for when you buy a pair of Choos
Hi Fearless Kitchen-Definitely just play pretend for this!
Hi Jeff-Haha yes it’s good of you to admit it
My husband is in denial! Yes chorizo and pork are definite life savers!
Hi maris-hehe is that a good thing?
Hi Jude-Hehe thanks! Glad you like it
I was feeling a bit flat myself on the weekend and given the foul weather it was a perfect soup day. Being a big spinach and chorizo fan I had to make this… and it was delicious. So so simple and felt so nourishing. The chorizo was the icing on the cake. Yum!
I made this soup and my gosh, it was absolutely delicious!
I also took a picture.
http://artemisiii.deviantart.com/art/White-Bean-Spinach-Chorizo-118405865
Defintely worth it all!!!
Hi LT-I’m so glad that you liked it and sorry to hear you were feeling a bit flat! Hope the soup helped right things
Hi ArtemisIII-YAY so glad that you liked it-your soup looks great!
And yes substitutions for veges are totally fine for this soup 
I made it yesterday and it was truly delicious!! With homemade herby rolls, mmm… thank you very much for the great idea of mixing beans with spinach!!
Hi Anna-Fantastic! That’s so great to hear and you’re more than welcome!
As we’re all in swine flu quarantine here and feeling dreadful, I made this soup last night. It was so easy to make, and was nourishing and delicious.
Thanks for sharing!
That soup looks great for this kinda wheater,,,very winter like,,,,love spinach, looks delicious…and lovely.
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