Kale and Cannellini Bean Soup

I’ve been feeling under the weather with the flu. Let me be honest here: when I’m sick I really don’t want to move one finger. Yes, I go straight for those cans of chicken noodle soup or chicken and rice soup at the store. After a few days of doing that, I got tired of eating canned soup and figured that my body could use some fresh vegetables to get better.

The truth is that making soup doesn’t really take that much time if you have a few pantry staples on hand. I rummaged through my refrigerator and pantry and found a few things that I could use. This took less than 20 minutes to make. I love adding tomato paste and smoked paprika to soup. The smoked flavor of the paprika tricks your palate into thinking there may be sausage as an ingredient. Of course, you could always add some sausage at the beginning of the cooking process if you want to make this a more substantial meal.

Kale and Cannellini Bean Soup
Ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch rounds
• 2 small yellow potatoes, cut into 2 inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
• 1 can cannellini beans (15 oz.), drained and rinsed
• 2 cups thinly sliced kale
Procedure:
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat, add in the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add in the smoked paprika, tomato paste, and garlic, and cook for about 1 minute. Add the broth, carrots, potatoes, thyme and beans. Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add in the kale, and cook for 2 more minutes. Taste, and season with salt and pepper. Serves 4.