Some days, especially when it’s cold and dreary out, all I want to do is stay in and drink soup, preferably with a side of crusty bread for dunking. And that’s exactly what I did this past Sunday – and it was good. It was really good.
If you like bacon, kale or beans, this soup recipe is for you. It’s (relatively) healthy, hearty and delicious. And because it calls for canned versus dried legumes, it comes together fairly quickly, a bonus for hurried cooks.
To round it out, serve the kale and white bean soup with grissini or slices of homemade French baguette. (If you go with the latter, consider adding a teaspoon of dried rosemary to the dough, which lends a subtle woody flavor and fragrance to the bread.) And there you have it – soup that eats like a meal and keeps you warm and satisfied for hours.
Recipe adapted from Taste and Tell.
- 8 strips apple smoked bacon, cut into lardons
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup peeled and diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 15 oz. cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
- 4 cups packed torn kale leaves
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- In a large pot, cook bacon on medium heat until fat renders and bacon crisps, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon from pot and set aside on paper towels to drain.
- Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from pot. Add onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add thyme, chicken broth and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
- Remove about half of vegetables, beans and liquid from pot and purée; return to pot. Add tomato sauce, kale and ¾ of the cooked bacon. Simmer until kale wilts, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with remaining bacon.
Yum yum yum
Made this yesterday. Delicious! Caveat: I had some home-made beef stock, so I used that. Used 1 cup dried beans, soaked and boiled with a bay leaf. Used diced tomatoes rather than tomato sauce.
Still awesome!
Hi Sandi – I love that you made the recipe your own … glad you enjoyed it!
Great soup, I added a rind of Parmigiano cheese, marjoram and some cauliflower because I had it. Turned out wonderful. Thank you!
Love the additions, Ingrid – and so glad you enjoyed the soup!