Kate’s “Healthy Enough” White Bean Soup

20 minutes prep 2-3 hours active cooking 2 hours + 20 minutes total

Makes 12 servings

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A simple, satisfying dish from Lauretta Jean’s Kate McMillen...

this Italian-ish white bean soup is perfect for cool evenings. It’s full of good-for-you veggies, but there’s enough parm involved to keep the whole thing feeling just indulgent enough.

What You'll Need

Ingredients

For the shopping list

1 whole head + 5 cloves, minced of garlic
2 large yellow onions, chopped
1 teaspoon of fennel seed
1/4 cup of white wine
3 carrots, peeled & cut into coins
6 stalks of celery, chopped
2 bay leaves
A couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely diced
A couple sprigs of fresh sage, finely diced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Parmesan cheese rind
1 bunch of kale

From our shop

Out of stock

1 tablespoon of Novo Frantoio
$27.00– Tuscany - Italy

2 teaspoons of Oregano
$9.00– Pantelleria - Sicily

2 teaspoons + more to taste of Sea Salt Flakes
$16.00– Gossen Island - Norway

To taste of freshly ground Aranya Peppercorns
$12.00– Oakland - California

Out of stock

1 pound of Cannellini Beans
$8.00– Umbria - Italy

12 cups of Chicken Broth
$9.00– Artes - Spain

substitute water or a combo of broth and water.

Out of stock

To serve Parmigiano Reggiano
$9.00– Reggio-Emilia - Italy

Equipment

From the kitchen

large soup pot or Dutch oven
tin foil
peeler
potato masher
chef's knife
cutting board
measuring cups
measuring spoons

What you'll have to do

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350º.

Cut the top end off one head of garlic, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and seal in a pouch of foil. Bake in the oven for 1 hour or until lightly browned and very tender, almost mushy.

Step 2

Meanwhile, saute the onions for 10 minutes in a large soup pot. Add 4-5 cloves of minced garlic and 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds, then saute for another couple of minutes. Add ¼ cup of white wine to deglaze the plan.

Step 3

Add the carrots, celery, 2 teaspoons oregano, 2 bay leaves, 2 teaspoons salt, the rosemary & sage, a few grinds of fresh pepper, a pinch of red pepper flakes, the white beans, 12 cups of broth or water (or a combination of the two) and the parmesan rind. Simmer until the beans are tender, usually 2-3 hours.

Step 4

When the beans are nearly done, strip the leaves from the stems of the kale. Finely chop the stems (about ¼”) and roughly chop the leaves then add both to the soup.

Step 5

Squeeze out the roasted garlic from the cloves and stir them into the soup.

Step 6

Simmer until the kale is tender and the beans are fully cooked. Use the potato masher to mash some of the beans to your desired thickness. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and top with freshly grated parm to serve.