White Bean and Garlic Soup with Spinach and Crispy Prosciutto and Rosemary-Garlic Toasts

Steps

1. 1Heat 1 T. olive oil in a dutch oven at med-high heat.
2. 2Add chopped prosciutto and cook, stirring to break up the clumpy pieces, until crisped, 5-7 minutes.
3. 3Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. To the fat in the pan, add the garlic head, cut-side down, onion, carrot and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally until onion is softened, about 5-8 minutes.
4. 4Add 1 sprig rosemary, broth and beans. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the garlic is soft, about 30 minutes, removing the rosemary sprig halfway through cooking.Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl combine 3 T. olive oil, chopped rosemary from the other sprig, and minced garlic.
5. 5Spread the bread slices out on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, remove from the oven, flip the slices and brush with the rosemary & garlic oil. Continue baking until the toasts are crisp, 5-10 minutes longer. Set aside while the soup finishes.When the head of garlic is tender, remove it from the soup. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out the cloves and mince fine.
6. 6Add back to the soup, make sure the soup is at a gentle simmer, add in the spinach and cook until just wilted, just a minute or two. Adjust the seasoning with salt & pepper.
7. 7Serve the soup topped with the crisp prosciutto bits and the rosemary-garlic toasts.