Smoky White Bean & Kale Soup

Soup doesn’t always have to take hours; this one comes together and is ready to eat in under an hour, start to finish. And if you are anything like me you likely have all the ingredients on hand and could make this soup today without stepping foot in the grocery store.

When I was trying to come up with a recipe for this Face Off I was having a hard time finding inspiration. I was reading recipes online that all contained meat, but I didn’t want to use any faux meat in my version – wanted to keep it simple with just the beans for protein. Then it occured to me, I can give anything a smoky/meaty flavor with a little Liquid Smoke. I tend to forget about my Liquid Smoke, but now have it out on my counter for use in my day-to-day recipes. I think my husband really likes when I use it to cook because it gives him that smoked meat flavor without the meat – perfect for someone who lives in both worlds.

During this Face Off I learned that White Bean & Kale soup is a very versatile soup; you can substitute almost anything you want. Don’t have Cannellini beans, fine, use any beans or protein you have on hand. Use your favorite spices in place of the Thyme and Oregano. Don’t want the carbs, omit the pasta. To add to the smokiness I used Fire Roasted Tomatoes, however regular diced tomatoes will do just fine. It truly is easy to make this soup your own.

My recipe does make a large amount, so you can serve it up at your next dinner party or you can do what I did and ration it out into a weeks worth of lunches and dinners. Stay warm this winter, eat soup!

Smoky White Bean & Kale Soup

Serves 8

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Medium Yellow Onion, chopped
4 Garlic Cloves, chopped
3 Carrots, peeled and sliced
1 Tablespoon fresh Thyme, chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh Oregano, chopped
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
2 (32 ounce) containers of Vegetable Stock or 4 Not Chick’n Bullion Cubes dissolved into 8 cups of water
2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Cup small Pasta (small shells or ditalini)
1 bunch of Kale, torn into bite sized pieces
Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes or until onion is translucent.
2. Add Carrots, Thyme, Oregano and cook an additional 3 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, fresh cracked black pepper to taste and optional red pepper flakes; stir to combine.
4. Add vegetable stock and liquid smoke. Cover and bring to a boil.
5. Add beans and pasta. Cook for 5 minutes.
6. Reduce heat to medium and add the Kale. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.

Serve with vegan parmesan cheese, chopped parsley and bread.