Just Soup

That's what my sister and I have called this soup for more than 25 years. I have no idea how this came to be. If I had to guess I would say it was a cold Saturday afternoon and we were in the kitchen with a good bottle of wine and decided to make soup with what we had. We both have been making this on a regular basis ever since.

I can't believe it's the middle of November and it's 70 degrees and I'm still getting enough fresh vegetables from the garden to make this soup. Enough of my green tomatoes ripened so I didn't have to use any of my canned. Fresh cabbage and kale are still available also. Amazing! I'm not complaining.

Everything about this recipe is healthy except the bottle of wine we drank while we made it. Cheap, healthy, delicious and filling!

Just Soup
6-8 big servings
print recipe

2 cups dried Great Northern Bean that have been soaked over night or brought to a boil in water to cover and left to soak for 1 hour. Drain

Saute in 1/3 cup olive oil (do this in the same large soup kettle you will be using to make the soup):

6 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped

Add:
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1/2 head cabbage, chopped
1 pound fresh kale, rough chopped
2 or 3 medium cubed potatoes, I also use a turnip or two if I have them.

Add your drained beans back to the pot.

Season with:
Salt
Pepper
Thyme (do not omit)
Crushed red pepper flakes
Big pinch of sugar

Add water, chicken or vegetable broth to cover, let simmer about 2 hours until the beans are tender.

If you feel like pasta add a cup or so of cooked elbow or your favorite pasta.

This is really good with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.