One Pot Creamy Leek and White Beans

_INGREDIENTS:

• 2 x 390g tins Cannellini beans, including the liquid
• 30g butter
• 1 leek - and we'll use it all!
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp thyme
• 100ml water
• 1 stock cube
• 80g crème fraiche or sour cream
• 4 slices of fresh sourdough bread, toasted
• Oil for cooking

_{INSTRUCTIONS:}

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Dice the onion and mince the garlic.
3. Remove the dark leafy greens from the leek. Wash and shake off any excess water. Chop the dark leaves into smaller pieces. Place into a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until crispy. Remove from the oven and set aside. These crispy green leek tops will be used to garnish the final dish.
4. Finely slice the white part of the leek and rinse thoroughly.
5. Heat a large heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Add the butter to the pan. Once melted, add the chopped white leek, onion, and garlic. Sauté until soft and translucent. It should smell delicious!
6. Pour the cans of cannellini beans into the pan, including the liquid. Add 100ml of water and the stock cube. Mix well to dissolve.
7. Add the lemon zest and thyme. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Add the crème fraiche and mix through. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required.
9. Sprinkle the crispy green leek tops over the soup.
10. Enjoy with crispy bread.

Store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.