Almost Vegan Soup

This is my almost vegan soup.  I put everything but the kitchen sink in here by grabbing whatever pantry items and produce I could find on hand.  I definitely think you need one of those kinds of soup recipes in your back pocket because it is a great way to use up any leftover veggies that you do not want to go to waste.  I could have made it vegan but I decided to use my homemade chicken broth in it so if you want, you can replace that with vegetable broth.  That is why it is my almost vegan soup.  I have found that there always tweaks you can do to a recipe to make it fit your dietary needs.  This week I wanted a big healthy pot of soup so Mat and I could bring it to work for lunch.  It's perfect for that kinda thing.  You can eat away all week and not feel guilty at all.

Recipe
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
2 15-ounce cans cannelloni beans, drained and rinse 
1 quart chicken broth (you can replace this with vegetable stock)
2 c water
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 c onion, diced
1 1/2 c carrot, diced
1 1/2 c celery, diced
8 c kale, cut into bite-site pieces (I love kale so the 8 cups of kale were definitely packed 8 cups of kale into the measuring cup)
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and cut into chunks
1/4 c fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
In a big pot, add beans, broth, water, and garlic and bring to a boil.  Simmer on low for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large saucepan.  Add onions, carrots, and celery and cook 'til softened.  This takes about 5 minutes.  Lightly season with salt and pepper.  Add 4 cups of kale and cook it down for a minute or so.  Lightly season with salt and pepper.  Add the other 4 cups of kale and cook for 5 more minutes. 

When the bean broth mixture has done simmering, add the vegetable mixture into the broth and add the tomatoes.  Lightly season the soup with salt and pepper again.  Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 15 more minutes.  Turn off the heat and add parsley.  Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if necessary.

I cut the kale in bite-site pieces like so.  It is a great vegetable to have in your fridge because it is so hearty and the leaves are so thick.  It stays fresh in the fridge for over a week plus a few days. 

I took my homemade chicken broth out from the freezer and placed it into the pot.  I had to make sure not to squish the beans by plopping a big piece of ice into the pot.

The kale reduces significantly in size when it is cooked.  Also, I like seasoning with salt and pepper as I go and normally I eyeball it.  I usually do a 2 to 1 ratio for salt and pepper.  2 parts salt and 1 part pepper. 

If you want, you can add freshly grated Parmesan in the soup for additional flavor.  I restrained myself from putting broccoli in here too but in hindsight, I definitely could have plus other random things like corn, spinach, fennel, etc.  Yup this is definitely healthy and good for you.  Don't be scared.