Black Bean-Kale soup
Black Bean and Kale soup
Several nights ago I wanted to make a soup with the bunch of kale I had but the only recipe I had called for white beans, which I did not have. So, I created my own soup and it was wonderful!
If you’re afraid of food with a green tint to it, you should dive in and trust that this is a tasty soup. Black beans lend themselves to more spice than great Northern beans or other white beans in my opinion but I really didn’t want to use chili powder because I also added an acorn squash that I had on the counter. This truly was an experiment that turned out. My husband raved about it so we’ll be having it at our house again.
I had dried beans and canned beans but I decided to soak the dried beans because we’re bad at using dried beans. A quick way I’ve had great success with using dried beans is as follows:
2/3 C dried beans = 2 C cooked. Put the beans in cold water and bring the batch to a boil. Then, with the sauce pan off, allow them to remain in water for 1.5 hours. Bring the beans to a boil in fresh water and then simmer on low for 60-90 minutes (I find 60 minutes works perfectly). Add water as necessary. This is quicker than soaking them in cold water for 6 hours which is why I so often avoid using dried beans in cooking.
Black Bean-Kale Soup
1/4 c olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bunch kale, chopped and rinsed
6 C vegetable broth
2 tsp curry
2 tsp paprika
2 2/3 C dried beans, cooked -or- 4-15.5 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 acorn squash, cooked, scooped out of skin and chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Heat oil in stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and heat for 3-5 minutes. Add kale and cook 4-5 minutes or until wilted. Stir in vegetable broth, curry, and paprika. Bring to boil. Let it cool and blend in batches with acorn squash and black beans. **Reserve 1-2 cups of whole black beans.** Place blended mixture back into stockpot. Add reserved whole black beans, bay leaf, pepper and salt and simmer soup for 20-30 minutes before serving. Makes 8-10 servings.
Viki
I am a Clark County native. I am Level 2 WSET (wine and spirit education trust)-certified and enjoy pairing wine with my passion for travel and fondness of food. My most prized possessions are the memories of places I've been with my husband, the chance encounters we've been blessed to have along the way and my carry-on bag. I can often be seen around town and in tasting rooms with our two beautiful, double-Merle Australian shepherds, Challenge and Baby Girl.