I found
this recipe by Betty Rosbottom to have so many good points...beans...fresh veggies...including kale. But other parts of the recipe...frying bacon in olive oil and making oily croutons and covering the whole thing with Parmesan...well, those have to go.
Here's my first redeemed recipe!
Tuscan-Style White Bean Soup with Crisp Croutons
2 cups dried cannellini beans
1 cup finely diced onion
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup water
8 cups vegetable stock (or 4 cups vegetable stock and 4 cups water)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons dried crushed rosemary
2 dried bay leaves, broken in half
freshly ground pepper
6 slices whole-grain, no added-fat bread
3 cups (packed) coarsely chopped fresh kale, tough stems cut out and discarded
Place the dried beans in a colander and rinse under cold water to remove any dirt or grit. Then place beans in a large heatproof bowl, and cover with 5 cups boiling water. Set aside to soak for 1 hour, then drain beans in a colander.
In a large soup pot, saute onion, carrots and celery in 1/2 cup water until slightly soft, about 5 minutes.
Add beans, stock, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and several grinds of pepper. Bring to a simmer, lower heat, and cook at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (Soup can be prepared 1 day ahead to this point. Cool, cover and refrigerate. Reheat over medium heat.)
For croutons, toast bread in a toaster, toaster oven or conventional oven
When ready to serve, add kale to simmering soup and cook until it has wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove bay leaves; then season soup with additional pepper if needed. To serve, ladle soup into 6 soup bowls and garnish each serving with a crouton
Serves 6.
MAKE IT EASIER:
-- Use two cans of cannellini beans instead of making them from scratch.
-- Chop the onion, celery, and carrots in a food processor.
MAKE IT MWL-FRIENDLY: Omit the croutons; stir in some cooked grains if desired 10 minutes before serving.