Soup season is in full swing! When the wind is howling and the snow is swirling, soup can warm the core like nothing else. It’s more than just a fall staple—it’s a Chicago winter essential.
One of my new favorites is this Two-Bean Soup with Kale. It could easily be made carnivore-friendly by adding chicken or another meat of your choice, but I kept it herbivore-focused this time around.
The original recipe specifies that the beans are rinsed and drained and that a portion of the bean mixture is pureed until smooth. For a “soupier” dish, I kept the liquid from both the cannellini and the black beans and skipped the suggestion to blend.
This soup has a rich, well-rounded base but is not too overpowering. The rosemary and garlic add an herby-yet-zingy kick that compliments the kale nicely. Top with a few small dollops of goat cheese and serve with a slice or two of French or Italian bread and you’ve got a nutritious, scrumptious supper.
Two-Bean Soup with Kale*
1 c chopped onion
½ c chopped carrot
½ c chopped celery
½ t salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 c organic vegetable
broth—I also added 2 c water
7 c stemmed, chopped
kale
2 (15 oz) cans
cannellini beans, rinsed, drained and divided—I did not rinse or drain
1 (15 oz) can black
beans, rinsed and drained—I did not rinse or drain
½ t black pepper
1 T red wine vinegar
1 t chopped fresh
rosemary
Heat a large Dutch oven
over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, carrot
and celery and sauté 6 minutes or until tender.
Stir in ¼ t salt and garlic;
cook 1 minute.
Stir in 3 c vegetable broth and kale. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes or until kale is crisp-tender.
Place half of
cannellini beans and remaining 1 c vegetable broth in a blender; process until
smooth. Add pureed mixture, remaining cannellini beans, black beans and pepper
to the soup. (I simply added these ingredients, plus 2 c water to the soup
at this point.)
Bring to a boil; reduce
heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ¼ t salt, vinegar and rosemary.
Add some red pepper
flakes for additional spice and serve.