Here is a favorite recipe I love to make. It is so healthful and it is impressive to serve. It makes me feel good to know I am feeding my family this healthy and oh so delicious, hearty soup. It is filled with fresh vegetables and the wonder vegetable: Kale.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 large organic carrots, peeled and diced
• 4 ribs organic celery, diced
• 2 tsp. rosemary
• 1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks (time consuming, I know. If you’re pressed for time, use yellow squash and cut the simmer time to 15 min.)
• 1 large canned chopped tomatoes
• 6 cups low sodium chicken broth (no msg)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 4 cups kale – remove stems, rinse and rough chopped (tip: hold stem and slide your hand down the stem to easily remove leaves)
• 2 14.5 oz can cannellini beans drained
• 6 3/4 inch rustic bread
• 3 oz. Fontina cheese cubed optional
• 6 Tbs. grated Parmesan

Instructions

1. In large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic, carrots, celery until soft appx. 12 minutes. Add kale, rosemary, tomatoes and stock. Bring to a boil, add bay leaf, salt and pepper. Cover, lower heat and simmer until squash is soft appx. 25 minutes. (15 min. if using yellow squash).
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add beans and cover for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Spoon into oven safe bowls. If you like your bread soft and soaking in the yummy soup, cover the soup with torn slices of bread-using mostly crust; it will be mushy if you use only the soft inside part of the bread. Side note: Putting the bread on the top of the soup is personal preference. I don’t do this all the time, my mom loves it that way. Instead, I brown the bread and serve it on the side because I prefer the bread crunchy. Put a little broth onto bread, sprinkle parmesean and Fontina cheese on top. Bake until soup is bubbling, cheese is melted and bread is brown and crunchy appx. 25 minutes. Serve with side salad or on it’s own.

I love the colors and textures. Just look at the kale, beans, squash. Yum!

My youngest daughter loves to help me in the kitchen making anything healthy! She likes to pull the stems off the kale!

This Soup will give you Super Hero Powers!