Tuscan Bean Soup with Kale
Incredibly tasty for vegan and non-vegans. To make it vegan, omit the cheese rind in the soup. I made the soup in the InstaPot, separated it, then added the parmesan rind and cooked it some more on the stove (although it tasted pretty good with the additional step).
1 pound dried cannellini beans, sorted and rinsed
1 tablespoon fine sea salt (or table salt)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
½ teaspoon fine sea salt (or table salt, or Kosher salt)
Pinch 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 cups water
1 (14- to 16-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 parmesan rind (roughly 3 inches by 1 1/2 inches) - optional
1 (2-inch long) sprig fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 ounces kale, stems removed, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Grated parmesan for garnish
Minced parsley for garnish
DIRECTIONS
1 pound dried cannellini beans, sorted and rinsed
1 tablespoon fine sea salt (or table salt)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
½ teaspoon fine sea salt (or table salt, or Kosher salt)
Pinch 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 cups water
1 (14- to 16-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 parmesan rind (roughly 3 inches by 1 1/2 inches) - optional
1 (2-inch long) sprig fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 ounces kale, stems removed, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Grated parmesan for garnish
Minced parsley for garnish
DIRECTIONS
- Rinse the beans
- Sauté the aromatics: Heat the olive oil in the pressure cooker pot over medium-high heat (sauté mode in an electric pressure cooker) until the oil starts shimmering. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic, and sprinkle with the ½ teaspoon salt and red pepper flakes. Sauté until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.
- Pressure cook the beans: Add the rinsed cannellini beans to the pressure cooker and stir them to mix with the aromatics. Pour in the water and diced tomatoes, sprinkle with the baking soda, and stir. Add the optional parmesan rind, rosemary, and thyme sprigs. Lock the lid, bring the cooker up to high pressure, and pressure cook at high pressure for 20 minutes in an electric PC, or 16 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure return to nomral. Remove the lid carefully, opening away from you - even when it’s not under pressure, the steam in the cooker is very hot.
- Simmer the kale, then serve: Fish out the parmesan rind and discard. Turn the heat under the pressure cooker to medium-high (sauté mode on an electric PC) and stir in the kale. Simmer, uncovered, until the kale is tender, about 3 minutes. Stir the fresh ground black pepper and balsamic vinegar into the pot, then taste. Add more salt as needed - the soup will taste bland without enough salt. (I add 2 teaspoons of fine sea salt to the beans). Serve, sprinkling each bowl of soup with fresh grated parmesan and minced parsley.
