This veggie-packed kale, white bean and pasta soup is hearty and flavorful. Mashing beans into the soup gives it body and creaminess without actual cream. Serve this delicious vegetarian soup with a piece of crusty whole-grain bread on the side.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium leek, thinly sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, scrubbed and chopped
- 2 medium stalks celery, chopped
- 2 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper, plus more for garnish
- 1 large bunch curly kale, stemmed and roughly chopped
- 8 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth or no-chicken broth
- 12 ounces whole-wheat farfalle pasta or elbow macaroni
- 2 (14-ounce) cans no-salt-added cannellini beans, rinsed, divided
- 1 cup water
- Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish
Directions
- Step 1
Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leek; cook, stirring often, until very tender, about 10 minutes. Add onion, carrots, celery and parsnips; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, salt and pepper; cook, undisturbed, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add kale; cook, stirring often, until it’s just starting to wilt, about 2 minutes. Pour in broth; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, about 20 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Step 3
Mash half of the beans in a medium bowl with a fork or potato masher until a chunky paste forms. Stir the mashed beans, the remaining whole beans and 1 cup water into the soup. Cook over medium-high heat, undisturbed, until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Divide the pasta among 6 bowls; ladle the soup over the pasta. Garnish with parsley and additional pepper, if desired.
To make ahead
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 2 cups soup & 3/4 cup pasta Per Serving: 501 calories; protein 20g; carbohydrates 91g; dietary fiber 18g; sugars 11g; fat 9g; saturated fat 1g; mono fat 4g; poly fat 2g; vitamin a iu 7910IU; vitamin b1 thiamin 1mg; vitamin b3 niacin 6mg; vitamin c 59mg; vitamin e iu 4IU; folate 149mg; vitamin k 296mg; sodium 679mg; calcium 213mg; chromium 1mcg; iron 7mg; magnesium 201mg; phosphorus 409mg; potassium 998mg; zinc 4mg; omega 6 fatty acid 1g; niacin equivalents 8mg; selenium 58mcg.
