This was meant to be white beans with red chard, but TF and I don't acutally like chard (silverbeet), so we made it with kale instead. I think black kale would have been best for this, but we received a bunch of green kale in our most recent produce basket, so I justed used that. I don't like the texture quite as well, but it was fine.

This is not an amazing soup overall. But it's not bad. And it gave us some protein and extra fibre and veggies with our meal, which is what I was after. So, it got the job done, just not with a lot of flair.

White Bean Soup with Kale

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• ~400g kale
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 large sweet onions, chopped
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 6 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 (470g) cans cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese (or a mix of Parmesan and romano)

Directions

1. Cut the ribs and stems from the kale leaves. Chop both the leaves and the stems separately. Set aside.
2. Heat oil over medium heat.
3. Add onion, kale stems, salt, and pepper.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until softened (10-15 minutes).
5. Add garlic and thyme and cook for another minute or two.
6. Add stock and beans and bring to a boil.
7. Add kale leaves and cook until kale is tender (5-7 minutes).
8. Serve topped with cheese.