creamy white bean and kale soup
Aquafaba, otherwise known as bean juice, normally finds its highest calling by going down the sink. But it actually has all sorts of useful applications: fake mayo, fake butter, fake cheese, fake meringue (not that this is terribly practical). However, sometimes bean juice is meant to stay with its beans. This is one such time.
Bean/green soups are my favorite for lunch. They’re clean, light, plant-based, seasonless, and can conceivably be thrown together in a 45 minute break between meetings. This time, we invite the bean juice to stay, blending one can of beans and their liquid as a self-thickening agent to make the soup creamy without cream. Any herbs you have are perfectly welcome. Kale makes it a meal, a drizzle of olive oil makes it luxury, and a splash of acid keeps it (and you) awake.
recipe
Creamy without any cream, this healthy, cozy, and naturally vegan white bean soup is made entirely from pantry staples and uses blended beans for richness.
Effortful time: 5 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Makes 4 medium bowls, 3 large bowls
you need
3 cans white beans: navy, cannellini, great northern, or a mix
2 tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1 bunch black kale, leaves stripped from the stems, roughly chopped or torn
3 cups stock of your choice; I used chicken
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
Pinch of chili flakes
1 tsp. white wine vinegar OR juice from 1/2 a lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
make it
Prep your beans. Open all three cans of beans. Drain two. Dump the third into a blender and blend or, as I do, into a measuring cup and hit it with an immersion blender until smooth.
Prep your garlic and kale. Peel, smash, and roughly chop some garlic for a mid-day catharsis. Tear or chop up your kale.
Build your soup base. In a medium dutch oven (3 qt or above will work), heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Then sauté the kale about 1 minute until dark green and slightly wilted, coating it in garlic oil.
Add beans and simmer. Add the drained beans, the bean puree, stock, herbs, and chili flakes. Simmer for 20 minutes uncovered until the broth has slightly reduced. Test for salt, I needed a pinch.
Finish with acid. Stir in the vinegar or lemon juice (whatever you’ve got!) to perk everybody up, and season with freshly cracked black pepper. This soup is great with parm on top, too.