Mushroom white bean stew/soup

I made this soup on Friday and it was a huge hit! In the picture, it has some cooked rice I added to it later, a mix of brown Basmati and wild rice. This was savory and delicious, great on a cold winter day or if (like me) you have a horrible cold. I only have a stove-top here in Israel so I'm finding creative ways to make different types of meals on it (other than stir fry, which we tend to eat a lot these days). I made note of substitutions I made or I think might come in handy for other cooks!

Mushroom white bean soup (adopted from http://www.recipezaar.com/Quick-Provencal-Mushroom-and-White-Bean-Stew-135136)


1 Tbs or more vegetable or olive oil
1 package white or baby bella mushrooms, sliced (I debated adding more, I think this would be really good with a blend of different kinds of mushrooms)
1 chopped onion (I used a red onion, it gave it some really good flavor)
3-6 cloves of garlic, diced
4+ cups of vegetable broth (I didn't measure exactly, I just poured in some soup mix and filled the pot with water until I was satisfied)
1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes (I used half a 500g can of crushed tomatoes, which worked just as well)
1/4 cup lemon juice (the original recipe called for dry white wine, which I didn't have...I think a flavored vinegar would work just as well also)
2 15-ounce cans of white beans (recipe called for cannelloni, but I used butter beans b/c it's what I found in the store)

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot and throw in the onions, mushrooms and garlic. Saute until onion and garlic are softened and mushrooms get some golden color.
2. Add the broth (or soup mix and water), tomatoes with liquid, and lemon juice/wine/vinegar.
3. Bring to boil, them lower to a simmer for 15+ minutes until flavors meld.
4. Mash about half a can of beans, then ad the mash and the remaining beans to the soup. Stir in and simmer for another 10 or so minutes until the beans soften and mix into the soup.

Adding the cooked rice after gives it a little something extra without the rice getting mushy from being cooked in the soup, soaking up the broth.

This would probably be really good with some meat or chicken added in as well.