Viennaroo: Easy Tuscan Bean Soup

The weather is getting cold, the sun has gone off to god knows where and the rain doesn't stop falling. So while I was debating whether to move to another country - as I do every year after the first days of fall - I came across this recipe.

Soups are a must during the cold seasons and also a healthy alternative to seven days of noodles. *busted!* Also leftovers can easily be frozen.

ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion

3 carrots

1/4 celery root

1 zucchini

1/2 Hokkaido pumpkin

2 cloves garlic

1/2 (seweet) paprika powder

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 liter vegetable broth

800 gramms cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/8 chopped kale, ribs removed

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Dice the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini and pumpkin.

Heat a little bit of olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat, add the diced vegetables and saute them for about 4 minutes.

Add garlic, sweet paprika powder, thyme and rosemary. Cook for about a minute.

Stir in the broth and beans. (The original recipe also added a can [400g] of diced tomatoes but I had to leave them out.) Bring everything to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and add the chopped kale. Cover the pot and let everything simmer for 15 minutes.

If you want a more creamy consistency use a blender to partially puree the soup, leaving some chunks of beans and vegetables for texture. I personally didn't do that because I like having a more liquid soup with lots of chunks in it.

Add the salt and pepper to your liking, taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Take a picture and tag me on Instagram. ;)