Tuscan White Bean and Kale Soup
A thick, rustic soup of cannellini beans, lacinato kale, fennel and tomato, simmered with a Parmesan rind and finished with good olive oil.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Serves
- 6
The Parmesan rind does the work stock usually would, giving the water a deep savory backbone, so save rinds in the freezer for soups like this. The soup thickens as it sits; loosen leftovers with a splash of water when reheating. For a fuller meal, set a slice of toasted crusty bread in each bowl before ladling.
Method
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Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, fennel and salt and cook, stirring now and then, for , until soft and just starting to brown.
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Stir in the tomato paste, rosemary and red pepper flakes and cook , until the paste darkens to brick red.
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Add the diced tomatoes, beans, water and Parmesan rind. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for .
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Scoop out about 1 cup of the beans with a little liquid, mash them with a fork and stir them back in to thicken the soup.
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Add the kale and simmer more, until tender. Fish out the Parmesan rind.
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Stir in the lemon juice and black pepper, then taste and add more salt if needed.
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Ladle into bowls, drizzle with olive oil and top with grated Parmesan.
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