Cauliflower and Kale Soup with Lentils

Brrr….it’s cold outside! So- that means it’s soup time!

This soup is sooooo good for you- cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens and legumes- what more could you want? It’s the ultimate comfort food.

INGREDIENTS:

3 TBS olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 stalks of celery, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 TBS tomato paste

1 cup crushed tomatoes

1 cup lentils

4 quarts of vegetable broth- you know, the ones you’ve made using my technique 🙂 If you don’t have vegetable broth, use water and increase the crushed tomatoes to one 14oz can.

6 cups cauliflower florets

1 bunch kale, woody stems removed, and chopped

salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

In a large soup pot, saute the onions, carrots and celery in the olive oil until soft.

Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.

Add the crushed tomatoes and lentils and cook for another 2 minutes.img_3941

Add the broth, salt and pepper to taste . Please note the amount of salt is dependent on the sodium content of what vegetable broth you use. My homemade broth has not salt- so I use about 2-3 tsp of salt for this recipe.

Cover and cook over medium heat for 25 minutes.

Add the cauliflower and cook for 15 minutes.

Add the kale and cook uncovered for another 10 minutes or more until the vegetables and the lentils are soft.

Enjoy!!

Pasta e Fagioli

As the weather gets cooler, I crave this soup. It takes less than an hour start to finish. Add a green salad, and some crusty Italian bread, and there’s dinner!

PASTA E FAGIOLI

INGREDIENTS:

Sauteing the vegetables
Sauteing the vegetables

3 TBS extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1 large onion, diced

2 large carrots, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup of crushed or diced tomatoes

2  15 oz cans of white beans, such as Great Northern. Do not drain

2 cups vegetable stock

1 ½ tsp salt

Fresh pepper to taste

1 cup of dried small pasta, such as Ditalini or broken spaghetti

METHOD:

In stockpot, sauté the onion, carrots and celery for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the garlic, and cook over low heat for about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and beans, sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the broth, salt and pepper.

Simmer the soup for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling, salted water according to package directions.

Ladle the pasta into soup bowls, top with the soup and enjoy!

Serves 4.