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It’s no secret that I’m a big garlic fan, so I think this Roasted Garlic, Kale, White Bean soup is pretty spectacular. The cast of characters doesn’t stop at just garlic – it has bacon, parmesan cheese, carrots, celery. . . did I mention bacon? Anyway, it’s a party where all the popular kids are. And it’s good.
INGREDIENTS
1 small head of garlic, roasted (roasting instructions below)
olive oil
8-10 slices of thick-cut bacon, cooked and diced
1 Cup yellow onion, diced finely
3/4 Cup carrot, diced
3/4 Cup celery, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced (yes, this is in addition to the roasted garlic)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 Cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 Cans (14 oz) of white beans (any variety), drained and rinsed
3/4 Cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Can of diced tomatoes (14 oz)
8-10 ounces of Kale, chopped roughly (Trader Joe’s sells this in a bag)
HOW TO PREPARE
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1.) To roast garlic: Get your oven going at 375 degrees F. Slice the top end off the garlic. Drizzle olive oil over garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Put in small oven-safe dish, cover with aluminum foil. Roast for 35-40 minutes until it’s soft and golden brown. Set aside and let it cool. (Don’t skip this step. It is roasted garlic soup you’d be cutting the star of the show! If you are a zealous garlic lover – add 2 small heads of garlic to the soup. I dare you.)
2.) In a large soup pot (I used a dutch oven), drizzle a few Tablespoons of olive oil into pan. Over medium heat saute the onions, celery, carrots, minced garlic, rosemary and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to your liking (remember bacon and parmesan can be salty, so start with less and add more if you like). Cook for about 10 minutes until vegetables start to get soft and get to know each other.
3.) Add chicken broth, can of tomatoes, canned beans and your garlic puree from the oven (after roasted garlic has cooled, squeeze garlic out of “shell” into a bowl and mash with fork. That is your garlic puree).
4.) Add your cooked bacon (saving some for garnish) Bring to a light simmer for about 30 minutes.
5.) Stir in kale. Mix in parmesan cheese and stir well. It will cook way down. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
6.) Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and more bacon.
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Source: This recipe was adapted from a recipe I found from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice: White Bean, Bacon and Spinach Soup.
This soup recipe is part of our Soup and Salad recipe series! You might also like:
- Leftover Turkey Chowder recipe (it uses leftover mashed potatoes, too!)
- Curried Corn & Cheddar Chowder recipe
- Spicy Asian Noodle Soup
- New Waldorf salad with Lemon-Tarragon Vinaigrette
- Winter Bok Choy Slaw
- Arugula Pasta Salad with Pecans and Blue Cheese
Do you have a favorite soup or salad? Send it in! You could get a $10 Amazon gift card if I feature your recipe!
Wow! Made this last night, added 1/2 cup cream and it was awesome! My husband said this is in his “Top 5” meals I make!
I made something similar but I used Swiss chard from my garden. This looks good and healthy. Visiting from foodtastic-friday.
Loving this soup heather, it is packed with all kinds of nutrients. Looks super comforting on a cold night too, yum! Pinning!
This is a great bowl of soup, we will really enjoy it. Hope you are having a great day and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday!
Come Back Soon,
Miz Helen
This looks sooooo good AND healthy! Waiting for the weather to get cold and STAY cold so I can make this!
I made this soup this weekend when it was colder than cold and it is AWESOME!
To make it a little heartier I added some Johnsonville ‘s hot Italian sausage, removed from casing and fried it up with the veggies, and omitted the red pepper flakes. PERFECT! I will be making this soup again! I agree DO NOT skip the roasted garlic! Thank you for another great recipe QB!
Yay! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment Kim. So glad you liked it – and adding sausage is a brilliant idea. I will have to do that next time!
I’ve thought this for a long time, Heather, but haven’t yet taken the time to comment: The photography on your website is consistently awesome! Your recipe photos are always excellent. The photos of your family are always good. And, let’s not forget to mention the photos of your beloved chickens and their chicken coop. Are you the photographer? If so, you are probably much more talented than you realize. You have a great eye! Kudos!
Kim – you are sooo sweet. Thank you for taking the time to leave such a nice compliment. Yes, they are my photos. I have had a camera in my hands since I was just a little tike and I LOVE capturing life through the lens. Don’t tell anyone, but I think it’s why I do the recipes – so I can photograph them. 🙂
Have a wonderful day and thank you for following Queen Bee. 🙂
that looks SOO good!!
Thanks Megan. If you make it – let me know what you think. I loved it!
Where do the white beans come in to play? How much do you use? Canned or dry? Looks yummy!
I totally forgot those in the ingredient list, didn’t I? Adding them now.
🙂 The list is there just no beans! I can’t wait to try this!
Updated. 2 cans of white beans, drained and rinsed. 🙂