White Bean, Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup

This soup hit all my high notes: beans, kale and a medley of vegetables.  Lots of flavour and so easy to pull together.

I began with a recipe from Epicurious.com and made it my own.  Half the batch I keep in the fridge and the other half is frozen in 500ml canning jars.  There are perfect for bringing to the office for lunch.  Or, for a quick, delicious supper.

White bean, kale and roasted vegetable soup.

Serves 3-4


INGREDIENTS

3          carrots, peeled, quartered lengthwise
2          tomatoes, quartered
2          onions cut into 8 wedges
1          small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 tbsp   olive oil
6 cups  canned vegetable broth (or water)
4 cups  finely chopped kale
3          fresh thyme sprigs
1          bay leaf
2 cups  cooked white kidney beans, drained (fresh cooked or canned)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Arrange carrots, tomatoes, onion, squash and garlic on the sheet. Drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Bake until vegetables are brown and tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.

Transfer the carrots and squash to a cutting board. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces; set aside. Peel garlic cloves; place in a high speed blender or the bowl of a food processor processor. Add tomatoes and onion; puree until almost smooth.place the vegetable broth (or water) and vegetable puree to a large pot. Add kale, thyme and bay leaf to the pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered until kale is tender, about 30 minutes.

Add beans and reserved carrots and squash to soup. Simmer 8 minutes to blend flavors, adding more broth to thin soup if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to simmer before serving.)