Simple Vegetable Bean Soup

Mmmm, soup is good food (I usually sing the Dead Kennedys song in my head)

Mmmm, soup is good food (I usually sing the Dead Kennedys song in my head)

Did I jinx the nice, unseasonably warm weather that we had the week of Christmas?? Dammit, I miss the 60 degree days and not wearing a winter coat. In fact, I just wore my winter coat for the first time last Monday when it was in the low 40’s here. Sigh. Well, when the temps drop, I like to have a nice bowl of soup and some crusty bread for my dinner. I also seem to make a TON of soup so, I end up freezing most of it. I definitely need a larger freezer. This is a basic vegetable soup recipe…and of course, you can add any type of beans or vegetables you like and adjust the seasonings. I only had white beans on hand, but this is also good with chickpeas. I have also added tiny diced potatoes, chopped broccoli or cauliflower to the soup and it’s delicious.

  • 2TB extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2-3 carrots, chopped
  • 1 stalk of celery, chopped
  • 1/2 a bunch of lactino kale, chopped
  • 1 28oz can of Muir Glen Fire Roasted diced tomatoes
  • 2 cartons of unsalted vegetable stock (I always use Kitchen Basic’s unsalted veg stock)
  • 1 can of cannellini beans
  • 1 cup cooked macaroni or small shell pasta
  • Bay Leaf
  • 1-2 tsp Italian seasoning spice
  • Salt & pepper

In a stock pot or Dutch Oven (I used my Le Cruset dutch oven), heat oil over medium heat, then sauté the garlic, onions, carrots and celery until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and diced tomatoes, let simmer and then add the kale and beans. Add the seasonings to taste. For a kick, I added some crushed red pepper. Simmer over low heat until the kale is cooked. Add the pasta last (so it’s not overcooked). Serve immediately. Grate some pecorino romano on top too while you’re at it.

I miss the DKs:
Soup is good food!