I’m so happy the weather is finally getting warmer here in Philly. And while it is technically spring, there is still a fair bit of a chill left in the air. So, on occasion, when it’s cold out I like to make a big pot of soup to have on hand as a nice lunch to warm myself up with during the week. I tend to make enough that I can keep half in the fridge, ready-to-go, and then freeze the other half to be consumed at a later date. This soup really makes a great lunch, since its a quick reheat job, and with a few small additions, I’m ready to eat!

This kale and white bean soup is nothing fancy and I’m sure most of you have already had it before, or at least some version of the bean and green veg soup. I like to use tuscan kale since it’s pretty hardy and holds up well after being cooked for bit, but use whatever you like, or have available. I prefer the tuscan kale cause it doesn’t turn into mush even after it’s been reheated, but you can use spinach, swiss chard, escarole, whatever.

I typically tend to make this starting with dried beans that I soak the night before and then pressure cook till they’re tender. Totally not necessary and you can just as easily use canned beans. You don’t get any extra points for using dried beans here. I also like to add in a parmesan rind for flavor. I usually always have a few leftover rinds, wrapped in plastic, shoved in the freezer that I’ve saved solely for this purpose.  It’s a super simple way to add a lot of flavor into any veg soup. You get all that umami without the meat.

The one thing I do that may not be the most typical, and certainly isn’t in keeping with the Italian flavors here, is I like to top my soup with some crumbled feta. The salty cheese is so good, and I can really put it on just about anything. But, if your not into the feta, no worries, just top it with some Parmesan and always good drizzle of olive oil. Oh and I would def recommend toasting up some good bread and rubbing it with garlic. You gotta have something to dunk in there, just cause.