Name: Cool Jade Soup
Cook time: 1 1/4 hr (includes shelling beans)
Total time: 2 1/2 hr
Ingredients: 3 pounds lima beans in pods, shelled (scant 3 cups beans), or 2 (10-ounces) packages frozen baby lima beans, thawed; 1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (5 cups); 4 cups water; 2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth; 2 scallions, chopped; 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/8 teaspoon cayenne; 1/4 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves; 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves; 2 tablespoons dill leaves; 2 tablespoons mint leaves; 1/2 cup olive oil

Image may contain Bowl Food Dish Meal Cutlery Spoon Pottery Art Porcelain Saucer Plant Vase Jar and Soup Bowl

Photo by John Kernick

The inspiration for test kitchen director Ruth Cousineaus velvety chilled bean soup comes from Mediterranean-cooking authority Claudia Roden's recipe for bissara, an Egyptian bean-and-herb purée. The beans here are lima and green, simmered in chicken broth (you can use vegetable broth if you want to go vegetarian) and then puréed until silky. The herbs—parsley, cilantro, dill, and mint—are blended with olive oil so that you can finish the soup with a verdant drizzle, but dont think of the herb oil as merely a garnish: Its bright flavor brings everything together.

Cooks' Note

Soup, without herb oil, can be chilled up to 2 days. Add herb oil just before serving.

Recipe notes

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

36 Cold Soup Recipes to Keep You Cool This Summer
Whether you're craving classic Spanish gazpacho or an earthy-sweet bowl of blended beets, these cold soups are just the refreshment you're looking for.

Caramelized Onion Pasta

Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.

Heavenly Halva Cake

Serve a thick slice for breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up.

Vodka Gochujang Pasta

This pasta has some really big energy about it. It’s so extra, it’s the type of thing you should be eating in your bikini while drinking a magnum of rosé, not in Hebden Bridge (or wherever you live), but on a beach on Mykonos.

Our Favorite French Onion Soup

Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.

Kung Pao Cabbage With Tofu

Reliable cabbage is cooked in the punchy sauce and then combined with store-bought baked tofu and roasted cashews for a salad that can also be eaten with rice.

Smothered Italian Sausage

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.

Golden Mushroom Soup With Orzo & a Pat of Butter

This is the type of soup that, at first glance, might seem a little…unexciting. But you’re underestimating the power of mushrooms, which do the heavy lifting.

White Bean Turkey Chili

A dash of cocoa powder adds depth and richness to the broth of this easy turkey chili.

Recipe notes

36 Cold Soup Recipes to Keep You Cool This Summer