Tuscan White Bean & Kale Soup

I’m pretty adventurous when it comes to food. I grew up on liver and bacon and steak and kidney stew but for some reason leafy greens scare me. That is until I met my friend Kale.

To be honest, I never had Kale (at least not that I can recall) until about a year ago at a dinner party. It was served in a tomato based soup with garlic and white beans. I was amazed at how flavorful and hearty it tasted. From then on, I’ve been hooked. Hooked on Kale.

The best part of it all is that it is incredibly good for you. It’s packed with all sorts of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Here is a recipe for a soup similar to the one I had at the dinner party.

Start out with mirepoix. Saute down until the onions are translucent.

I added a bunch of different herbs – thyme, sage and rosemary. About a tablespoon each. You can adjust how much you put in based on your tastes.

I then added the garlic and mushrooms. Mushrooms aren’t in the original recipe but I love them so I added them. I used about 2 large Portabella’s. You can use whatever you have or leave them out.

Next up, add your chicken stock, beans and tomatoes.

The Kale. See, isn’t it a bit intimidating?!  Its like how is that possibly going to taste good.

Just wait, it will. I promise.

Tear or cut it into little chunks and add it to the pot.

It will cook down and become tender and delicious.

When its served, it should look a little something like this.

I hope you will make this soup soon while the weather is still on the chilly side. Its perfect for a cool Spring day.

much love!
jess

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Tuscan White Bean & Kale Soup

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup diced red onion
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 large stalks of celery, diced
5 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 (32-ounce) box low-sodium vegetable broth
4 cups packed chopped kale
1 (14.5-ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Herbs to taste
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions
In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and celery and cook 5 minutes. Add broth, garlic, kale and tomatoes and cover. Cook 5 minutes or until kale is tender. Add beans heat thoroughly.

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