Roasted Garlic, Kale, and White Bean Soup

It’s no secret that I’m a big garlic fan, so I think this Roasted Garlic, Kale, and White Bean soup is pretty spectacular. The cast of characters doesn’t stop at just garlic – it has bacon, parmesan cheese, carrots, celery. . . did I mention bacon? Anyway, it’s a party where all the popular kids are. And it’s good.

Roasted Garlic, Kale, and White Bean Soup

 

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Author: Heather

Recipe type: Soup

Ingredients

• 1 small head of garlic, roasted (roasting instructions below)
• olive oil
• 8-10 slices of thick-cut bacon, cooked and diced
• 1 Cup yellow onion, diced finely
• ¾ Cup carrot, diced
• ¾ Cup celery, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced (yes, this is in addition to the roasted garlic)
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 6 Cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 Cans (14 oz) of white beans (any variety), drained and rinsed
• ¾ Cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 Can of diced tomatoes (14 oz)
• 8-10 ounces of Kale, chopped roughly (Trader Joe’s sells this in a bag)

Instructions

1. To roast garlic: Get your oven going at 375 degrees F. Slice the top end off the garlic. Drizzle olive oil over garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Put in small oven-safe dish, cover with aluminum foil. Roast for 35-40 minutes until it’s soft and golden brown. Set aside and let it cool. (Don’t skip this step. It is roasted garlic soup you’d be cutting the star of the show! If you are a zealous garlic lover – add 2 small heads of garlic to the soup. I dare you.)
2. In a large soup pot (I used a dutch oven), drizzle a few Tablespoons of olive oil into pan. Over medium heat saute the onions, celery, carrots, minced garlic, rosemary and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to your liking (remember bacon and parmesan can be salty, so start with less and add more if you like). Cook for about 10 minutes until vegetables start to get soft and get to know each other.
3. Add chicken broth, can of tomatoes, canned beans and your garlic puree from the oven (after roasted garlic has cooled, squeeze garlic out of “shell” into a bowl and mash with fork. That is your garlic puree).
4. Add your cooked bacon (saving some for garnish) Bring to a light simmer for about 30 minutes.
5. Stir in kale. Mix in parmesan cheese and stir well. It will cook way down. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
6. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and more bacon.

3.5.3208

What’s your favorite soup to make (or eat, or both)? Let us know – we’d love to hear from you!