White Bean & Kale Soup (Vegan and GF-Friendly!)

I pinned this recipe from Real Simple a few days ago. I knew today's forecast held wind, rain and cold, so I mentally bookmarked it. I re-arranged our bedroom yesterday, so now our headboard sits right up against the windows--which were open last night--and was woken up by 40 degree winds slapping me in the face. YIKES! But man, with rain coming, did that wind smell good. After a coffee date with Cowboy this morning, I knew I wanted this soup for lunch. 

White Bean & Kale Soup

(Adapted from Real Simple)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 stalks celery
• 1 large onion
• sea salt and black pepper
• 2 15.5-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup small soup pasta, uncooked (I used organic Farro, but you could use quinoa, making it gluten-free)
• 1 bunch kale
• 8 cups water or vegetable stock (*I make my own stock, so I have plenty on hand, but you could use water and just add some additional herbs/seasoning to boost flavor)
• 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan (2 ounces), plus 1 piece rind (optional) (OR skip the cheese and this would be vegan, too!)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• fresh dill or other herb(s) of choice (I also used some Greek Seasoning)

Directions:

1. Start by washing your kale and tearing the leaves off of the stalk and into small, 1- or 2-inch pieces. This can be tedious, so you'll want to have this done before you turn the stove on. Set kale aside.
2. Chop the garlic, slice the celery and chop the onion. Heat the oil in your pot or dutch oven and add the garlic, celery, onion, 1.5 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, rinse and drain your beans. Once the onion is translucent, add beans, uncooked pasta, kale, herbs, parmesan rind (if you have one-this is optional) and 8 cups water/vegetable stock*. Cover and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer until both your pasta and the kale are tender (this will vary by pasta).
5. Remove the parmesan rind, if you used one. Stir in the lemon juice and serve topped with Parmesan shavings. 

 

It was easy and delicious, though not as hearty as I would have liked. I would either add more pasta, throw in some potatoes or serve with bread (the original recipe did call for this). I also didn't use rosemary (I'm not really a fan) from the original recipe, which could have added to this, but the flavor overall was a bit flat. The addition of more Parmesan fixed that rather quickly, so be generous with it, especially if you're not serving this with bread.

Happy rainy-Kansas Thursday!