White Bean, Kale and Pumpkin Soup

I'm all about a one pot dinner. Sheet pan, instant pot, whatever. In this (extended) Covid season I'm always on the hunt for a solid healthy family meal that will support our immunity.

Recently I find I would rather spend my days at the beach or watching movies with the kiddos, I just don't want to cook that much. Soups have kinda been my jam lately and here's my most recent creation. I hope you love it as much as we have.

Heat a large pot on medium heat then add:

6 slices of smoked bacon, sliced into small slivers

2 Tbsp olive oil

Sauté until that bacon is 80% crispy then add in:

2 leeks, thinly sliced and chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped and washed

1/2 yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups diced pumpkin, any kind you want!

1 cup carrots, diced

Put the lid on that pot and let that sauté away for about 10 mins- this adds so much flavor just to let it cook like this before you add the stock.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/559424_b1034be3b4fd4b79b27067f4d6e5e882/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Now add in:

6 cups of Chicken Stock

2 cans of White Beans, I like Cannelloni

3 cups of finely sliced Kale

Salt and Pepper to taste

Zest of 1 Lemon

Lay about 3 springs of Thyme and 2 springs of Rosemary just on top of the broth. You can remove those at the end, they'll flavor the soup beautifully.

Let this simmer with the lid off for 20-30 minutes. The stock will reduce a bit and that flavor will jut go into overdrive delicious.

I love to serve this soup with a dollop of Creme Fraise and freshly grated Raw Mild Cheddar Cheese. Don't forget to make Lynn's 4 Ingredient Bread to go along with this beautiful family meal.