White Bean and Kale Soup

Now that the cool, crisp fall weather is here, I am always in the mood for meals that will warm me up. People often gravitate toward so-called comfort foods when the cold weather hits, but many of those foods are full of fat and too high in calories for an average meal. So instead of feasting on heavy meals that may warm the belly but also make it expand, I often make soups that are light, yet filling and satisfying.

Recently I had a bunch of kale from my CSA and instead of making kale chips like I have in the past, I decided to make white bean and kale soup — a popular combo, but one I have never made. I found a recipe that sounded good and gave it a try (with a few modifications). Unlike most white bean soups I have had, which are white and creamy in the end, this one had a reddish-orange colored broth and was more of a vegetable soup.

White Bean Soup (original recipe from Cooking Light, March 2002)
Serves: 12; Serving Size: About 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 whole garlic head
• 8 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 cup finely chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 12 cups low-sodium vegetable Stock
• 1 (16-ounce) can no salt added cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (16-ounce) can no salt added navy beans, drained and rinsed
• 4-6 cups chopped fresh kale
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Remove white papery skin from garlic heads (do not peel or separate the cloves). Brush each with 1 teaspoon olive oil and wrap in foil. Bake at 350° for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves and squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan over medium-heat. Add onion and salt; sauté 5 minutes. Add carrot and the next 3 ingredients (carrot through tomato paste); cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add vegetable stock and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
4. Stir in garlic and kale; simmer 10 minutes or until kale is tender. Stir in lemon juice and pepper. Sprinkle each bowl with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese and serve hot.

Nutrition Facts (per serving): 173calories, 7 g protein, 25 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 476 mg sodium