Kale and White Bean Soup with Smoked Beef Brisket. A popular vegetable these days is kale. Raw or cooked. Either you love it, or you don’t. I’m looking for smart ways to add kale to my recipes. Chock full of vitamins, kale has sneaked into my smoothies, fresh salads and even hearty soups. My Kale and White Bean Soup with Smoked Beef Brisket is one of those satisfying soups — your family won’t even know they’re eating kale!
Chopping kale and adding it to a soup is similar to adding chopped fresh spinach leaves or green cabbage. It’s a nice texture and give the soup some depth. Be sure to thoroughly wash the kale leaves since they have a lot of nooks and crannies.
This soup combines chopped kale with diced tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, white beans, herbs, and chopped smoked beef brisket! It’s a nice dinner entree on a cold evening. Serve leftovers for lunch with a sandwich.
My husband likes to smoke meats in his outdoor smoker. The meats are very tender and succulent with a wonderful smoky taste. I chose his beef brisket to add to this soup. You could add a smoky sausage or another smoked meat.
In a soup pot, saute onion, carrot, and celery in some olive oil until the vegetables have softened a bit. Add chicken broth/stock and diced tomatoes and let simmer a bit. Add some canned white beans and tomato sauce. Add the kale and simmer about 10 minutes. In the last few minutes of cooking, add chopped smoked beef brisket, some dried thyme, and some chopped fresh parsley. Season with salt and pepper. When soup is ready, ladle into soup bowls and top with a bit of shredded Parmesan cheese.
Serve this soup with half of a mushroom and Havarti cheese panini for a nice lunch!
This soup improves with “age” so you can wait a day to serve. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days. Add the shredded Parmesan just before serving. Freezes well, too.
+++++++
From the kitchen of A Food Lovers Delight….
Kale and White Bean Soup with Smoked Beef Brisket
Ingredients:
3 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, sliced thinly
6 c chicken broth/stock, more if you prefer a thinner soup
2 cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (14 oz) tomato sauce
2 cans (14 oz) white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3 c chopped kale, red or green
2 c chopped smoked beef brisket
2 t dried thyme
1/2 c chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper
1/4 c shredded Parmesan cheese for topping (optional)
Method:
1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot.
2. Saute the onion, carrot, and celery until the vegetables have softened.
3. Add the chicken stock and the diced tomatoes. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
4. Add the white beans and tomato sauce and simmer for 30 minutes more.
5. Add the kale and simmer another 10 minutes.
6. Add the smoked beef brisket, thyme and parsley. Simmer another 10 minutes until heated through. Add more chicken broth/stock if you like a thinner soup.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. To serve, ladle into soup bowls and top with a bit of shredded Parmesan cheese (optional).
Serves 6 – 8 as a soup course, 4 – 6 as a main course. Serve with a side salad and some crusty bread as a main course.
Variations: If you don’t have smoked beef brisket, you could use another smoked meat or a sliced or diced cooked smoked sausage. Substitute ham or bacon or even smoked chicken. Add some cooked pasta just before serving for an even heartier soup. Use red kidney beans or another favorite kind of canned beans if you prefer. You can omit the kale or substitute chopped spinach — you’ll need to add the spinach at the end during the step with the smoked beef brisket so the spinach keeps its bright green color.
www.afoodloversdelight.com (Copyright Adroit Ideals 2014)
Tell me what you think!