Warm up this fall and winter with a bowl of tomato white bean soup topped off with a dollop of kale pesto. Serve with a hunk of crusty bread for dipping. Recipe is gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan-friendly
Course
Soup
Cuisine
Gluten-Free, Vegan-Friendly, Vegetarian
Prep Time20minutes
Cook Time35minutes
Total Time55minutes
Servings6
AuthorJessica Levinson
Ingredients
For the soup:
2tablespoonsolive oil
1large yellow onion,chopped (~1 1/2 cups)
4celery stalks,chopped (~1 to 1 1/2 cups)
2medium carrots,chopped (~1 cup)
4clovesgarlic,quartered
Onequart (32 ounces)low-sodium vegetable stock
One15-oz canno-salt added cannellini beans,drained and rinsed
One14-ouncecan diced tomatoes
2bay leaves
1/4teaspoondried rosemary
1/4teaspoondried thyme
1/2teaspoonkosher salt,plus more to taste
Freshly ground pepper,to taste
1/2tablespoonlemon juice
For the kale pesto:
1 1/2bunches kale,chopped
1/2cupwalnut halves
4clovesgarlic
1/2cupgrated Parmesan or pecorino cheese
1/2cupolive oil
1/4teaspoonKosher salt
2tablespoonslemon juice
Instructions
To make the soup:
In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and stir occasionally until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add celery, carrots and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup of the broth and stir to scrape brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Add remaining stock, beans, tomatoes, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper, to taste. Bring soup to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until carrots are very soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove bay leaves from soup and discard. Using an immersion blender, puree soup, leaving some of it chunky if desired. Stir in lemon juice, and season with more salt and pepper as needed
To make kale pesto:
Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Blanch the kale by adding it to the pot of boiling water and cooking for about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from pot and run under cold water to stop cooking. Strain and squeeze out excess liquid.
In a large food processor, puree blanched kale, walnuts, garlic, cheese, olive oil, salt, and lemon juice until smooth.
Serve soup with a dollop of pesto on top and swirl in.
Recipe Notes
To make vegan, omit cheese from pesto or use dairy-free cheese.