Last night, I cooked for my three favorite men: my dad, my brother, and my husband.
This was the first time I had ever cooked an entire meal for my dad – after all those years he cooked delicious meals for me, I was excited to return the favor. We joked about how he never though this day would come, because when I was a kid I had no interest in cooking or helping out in the kitchen. But obviously times have changed!
The best part was, all of them LOVED this meal. And it only took an hour to make (and that includes time for the soup to simmer on the stove for quite a while, so the flavors would blend together well).
All of the produce in this meal came from Berkeley Bowl West, which is one of my new favorite places to buy my produce: it’s always fresh, organic and cheap!
I served this soup with goat cheese polenta rounds and a slice of whole wheat crusty bread with a tiny bit of butter. All in all, it was the perfect, warming, Sunday night dinner.
The Ingredients: White Bean and Kale Soup
- 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 8 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4-6 cups chopped raw kale
- 4 cups low-fat, low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 (15 ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini or navy, rinsed and drained
- 4 roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1 Tsp dried oregano
- 1 Tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- Fresh shredded Parmesan (1 Tbsp per serving of soup)
- Pre-cooked polenta
- Fresh goat cheese
The Directions: White Bean and Kale Soup
Step 1: Chop all your veggies. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; saute until soft.
Step 2: Add kale and saute, stirring, until wilted.
Step 3: Add 3 cups of broth, 2 cups of beans, and all of the tomato, herbs, salt and pepper (crushed red pepper + black pepper). Simmer 5 minutes.
Step 4: In a blender or food processor, mix the remaining beans and broth until smooth. You can also just mashed the beans in the broth with a potato masher (I did this and it worked great). Stir into soup to thicken. Simmer at least 15 minutes.
Note: I actually simmered mine for 30 minutes on low, it let the flavors combine and the kale cooked down a bit more – so it had the perfect texture. When it was done it looked like this:
Step 5: Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with parmesan cheese
Step 1: Slice the pre-made polenta into 1/2 inch thick rounds
Step 2: Spray a cooking sheet with non-stick spray, arrange polenta rounds on the sheet, and top with a bit of goat cheese (about 1-2 tsp per round)
Step 3: Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, and then broil for a few minutes on high to make the polenta a little more crispy and to brown the cheese. Serve and enjoy!
This polenta is absolutely delicious: it’s warm and crispy on the outside, and gooey on the inside. A lot of people will generally fry polenta to get this same consistency, but baking it is much healthier and it tastes just as good! The goat cheese adds a creaminess that is just divine.
Not bad for a dinner that took only an hour to prepare right?
I loved how well these two dishes complemented each other. First I took a bite of the chunky and slightly spicy soup…
And then I took a bite of the polenta…
Repeat.
Pure happiness.
Nutritional Info Per Serving: 300 Calories, 4.6g Fat, 410mg Sodium, 49.7g Carbs, 10.9g Fiber, 2.5g Sugar, 17.1g Protein
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 8 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4-6 cups chopped raw kale
- 4 cups low-fat, low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 (15 ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini or navy, rinsed and drained
- 4 roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1 Tsp dried oregano
- 1 Tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- Fresh shredded Parmesan (1 Tbsp per serving of soup)
- Pre-cooked polenta
- Fresh goat cheese
Instructions
- Chop all your veggies. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; saute until soft.
- Add kale and saute, stirring, until wilted.
- Add 3 cups of broth, 2 cups of beans, and all of the tomato, herbs, salt and pepper (crushed red pepper + black pepper). Simmer 5 minutes.
- In a blender or food processor, mix the remaining beans and broth until smooth. You can also just mashed the beans in the broth with a potato masher (I did this and it worked great). Stir into soup to thicken. Simmer at least 15 minutes. I actually simmered mine for 30 minutes on low, it let the flavors combine and the kale cooked down a bit more – so it had the perfect texture.
- Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with parmesan cheese
- Slice the pre-made polenta into 1/2 inch thick rounds
- Spray a cooking sheet with non-stick spray, arrange polenta rounds on the sheet, and top with a bit of goat cheese (about 1-2 tsp per round)
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, and then broil for a few minutes on high to make the polenta a little more crispy and to brown the cheese. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Note: Nutritional Information does not include Polenta/Goat Cheese combo
TAGS: entrees, gluten-free, italian recipes, kid friendly recipes, quick meals, soups, vegetarian
Well that looks gorgeous. We’re in Turkey and fresh beans are out at the moment so I’m going to try and make this with summer fresh beans. Thanks. 🙂
Yay! Hope you liked it when you made it!
Sounds like a seriously delicious (and very nutritious) meal! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! So glad you like it!
That soup sounds fantastic. I love that it’s got so many good things in it!! Kate @kateiscooking
Totally – it’s like a one pot superfood meal!
Yum! Looks delicious…
This soup looks awesome for fall. I love soups with white beans. I also love that almost every ingredient is a pantry “staple”– so most of it I have on hand already! Thanks!
It is a really great fall soup, but it’s also perfect for the winter too! Totally agree about the pantry staples – I only had to buy the fresh veggies to complete this dish!
looks like a comfort meal
It is definitely a comfort meal, but it’s healthy too!
Love the combination of ingredients. Tonight is the perfect night for soup…it’s chilly in the Bay Area. brr. Recipe sounds yummy!
Thanks so much! I have definitely been into soups this winter especially – since it has been pretty cold here in the Bay!
I have been wondering how to cook polenta. I had it once and actually really enjoyed it but have been too nervous to cook it. That sounds super easy! Thanks so much.
Oh yay! No problem, so glad it’s helpful. It really is super easy: slice, bake and enjoy!
This looks amazing! It will definitely be going on the menu for next week. I just love kale… and white beans… and polenta, too! Whole Foods has quinoa polenta, which I love even more!
Hehe yay! I love kale and white beans and polenta too 🙂 Oh woah – quinoa polenta?! I have to try that – it sounds great! Thanks for the tip!
Hi there! I just found your blog and am loving it so far – so many delicious recipes! I am definitely going to have to try the polenta rounds. Have you ever tried goat gouda? It’s not quite as tangy as regular goat cheese, but still pretty delicious!
Hi!! So nice to meet you – and I’m so glad you like my blog! I’ve actually never tried goat gouda, but it sounds great. I mean, I like goat cheese, and I like regular gouda – so why not put the two together? 🙂 I’ll definitely be picking that up soon!
I can’t wait to make this.
I know you’ll love it! 🙂
I just subscribed to this blog and have made a few of the recipes. They have all been great and my family (including my kids) like most of the things I have made. Is there nutrition information for any of the recipes? Am I missing it somewhere? That info would be really helpful. Thanks for the healthy and easy recipes. Keep them coming.
Yay!! I’m so glad to hear that Joelle!! 🙂 As for nutrition information, I can estimate it for just about any recipe but it won’t be exact (that’s why I don’t always include it – because I don’t measure it exactly). For some of my recipes, they are measured exactly and in those cases I include nutritional info at the bottom of the post. But if you’re looking for an estimate, I can definitely give that to you as well! Just let me know!
I entered the ingredients into a recipe builder, and for 4 servings (which was about 2.5 cups per serving) it was about 272 calories, 15.4 fiber, 15.7 protein, and 4.8g fat
Oh awesome!! Thanks so much for doing that! It’s good to know that (as I suspected) – a HUGE portion is less than 300 calories and has TONS of fiber and protein! What recipe builder do you use?
Hey Anjali! I am making this tonight for dinner, it looks great!! Congrats on all the success your blog has had! Hope you are doing well too 🙂
Hey Catherine!! It’s so good to hear from you! I’m so excited you’re making this for dinner – I can’t wait to hear what you think about the recipe! Thanks for your kind words about my blog – I’m doing really well – hope you are too! Talk to you soon! 🙂
It was great!!! I am eating the leftovers now for lunch and it is the perfect gloomy day pick me up!
Woohoo! I’m so glad to hear that!!! Aren’t yummy leftovers the best? 🙂
Thanks for the nutrition info! I am pretty sure I ate 2 1/2 cups worth. That is a huge portion and still low in calories. I appreciate the effort.
Oh that’s great! Isn’t it awesome that such a huge, filling portion can still be so low in calories and good for you too!
I made this soup last night, and I must say it was AMAZING!!! I’m shocked at how flavorful it was, and so healthy! Love your blog, thanks for sharing.
Woohooo!! I’m so glad!!! Thanks Lauren!
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