Onion and White Bean Soup with Kale Toasts

HomeClinics & ProgramsELLICSR KitchenOnion and White Bean Soup with Kale Toasts

Skill Level	Easy

Preparation Time	15 minutes	Total Time	45 minutes
Servings	6	Cost Per Serving	$1.90

2	Medium Onions
1/2	Fennel Bulb
5 cloves	Garlic Whole
1/2 cup	Dried Mushrooms (Shiitake or Porcini)
2	Bay Leaves
3 sprigs	Thyme
1 can	Cannellini or White Kidney Beans (rinsed & drained)
1 tbsp	Olive Oil
2 cups	Kale, shredded
6 slices	Crusty Bread
4 tbsp	Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp	Sea Salt and Ground Black Pepper

Add whole onions, fennel, garlic, dried mushrooms, bay leaves and thyme to a medium pot. Cover with water and bring to a bowl. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Discard the bay leave and thyme. Take any tough peel off the onions. Add onion, fennel and about 4 cups of stock into a blender with your beans. Blend until smooth. Return to pot, season to taste, and keep warm.
Drizzle bread slices with oil and toast in a hot pan until golden brown.
Drop kale in the pan until wilted. Add to the toasts and top with parmesan cheese.
Serve soup in a bowl topped with a kale toast.

PDF of NFT for Onion and White Bean Soup with Kale Toasts

It's a tear jerker! The sulfur compound that's released when you cut into onions reacts with the tears in your eyes and causes irritation. Try these tricks to help reduce the crying:

Save your herbs. Woody herbs like bay leaf and rosemary freeze well, so wrap them up and stick them in the freezer. However, soft herbs like basil, parsley and mint, will break down much faster in the freezer. To store well, add chopped herbs to an ice cube tray and just cover with olive oil. Keep frozen and then add to a pan when needed.